Saudi Arabia : Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia On 3rd Oct 2021,Release Updated, granted permission for performing Hajj 2022 & Umrah resume to fully vaccinated pilgrims. With the launch of the Tawakkalna application, The ministry and authorities can track the vaccination status of any individual. Advancement in technology for tracking and curbing COVID-19 has proved beneficial in conducting and operating safe Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage. Advancement is the application for registration of e-visa for Hajj & Umrah.
Performing Umrah And Hajj Starting 2021.During COVID-19.
COVID-19 infections were spreading all over the world, Saudi authorities are putting strict restrictions on Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage. Saudi Arabia Allowed only 60,000 people to perform Hajj In July 2021, in comparison, an average of 2 million Hajj pilgrims every year. Allowed pilgrims were fully inoculated with doses of Oxford’s AstraZeneca, and Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, one dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
As per the latest updated records, currently, KSA reports– 545k total cases & 8.78k deaths due to COVID-19. Covid cases have seen a significant decline in the past few weeks.
Some experts assume that it will contain guidelines that have to be followed while performing Umrah and Hajj. Pilgrims will have to submit necessary documents along with a certificate for vaccination. The authorities will verify details & automatically grant e-visas according to the authenticity of the details.
Makkah Masjid Al-Haram Allowing entry of Pilgrims At Full Capacity Starting from October 2021.
Big news came from Makkah Masjid Al-Haram on 17th Oct 2021. The authorities at Grand Mosque are lifting off restrictions on the numbers of pilgrims to perform Hajj and Umrah. They took this decision considering the decline in COVID-19 cases and increasing inquiries for pilgrimage. Local media are publishing pictures and footage of people praying alongside maintaining minimal social distance. Though social distancing has been relaxed in Al-Haram, pilgrims will still have to wear masks at all times.
Saudi Arabia has also lifted bans from many countries, including India, for the pilgrimage. These countries fell under red names due to COVID-19’s severity. As the world has considerably recovered from the havoc caused by COVID-19’s new strains, Saudi Arabia is steadily opening doors for these countries.