Saudi Arabia to gradually resume Umrah pilgrimage from October 4
General view of Kaaba at the Grand Mosque which is almost empty of worshippers, after Saudi authority suspended umrah (Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca) amid the fear of coronavirus outbreak, at Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday announced that it will allowpilgrims residing inside the country to undertake the Umrahpilgrimage beginning on October4.
Thepilgrimage had been halted for the past seven monthsdue to coronavirus concerns, state news agency SPA reported.
Also see:Disinfectants, masks, online selection: Hajj 2020 begins amid coronavirus pandemic
Umrahis an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina undertaken any time of the year, attracting 19 million people last year. Saudi Arabia had instituted a freeze onumrahin March.
It will now allow 6,000 citizens and residents inside the kingdom to performumrahdaily, representing 30 per centof a revised capacity of 20,000 that takes into account precautionary health measures, SPA added. That will expand to 75per centof capacity on Octember18.
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Beginning November1, Saudi Arabia will allow visitors from specific countries deemed safe to performumrahat 100per centof the revised capacity, until the end of the pandemic, SPA said.
This year, Saudi Arabia conducted a limited haj, the larger pilgrimage that usually attracts around 3 million people, for a few thousand citizens and residents.
According the official data,haj andumrahearn the kingdom about $12 billion annually.
On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia reported 330,798 total cases of coronavirus and 4,542 deaths, as cases in the Gulf region topped 800,000.