Kingdom welcomes first international pilgrims in 7 months

The faithful fly in from Pakistan tan and Indonesia as UmrahUm resumes with strict health precautions in place

More than 250 international pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia on their way to Makkah to perform Umrah for the first time in seven months.

The visitors from Pakistan and Indonesia were welcomed at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah by the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Mohammed Benten, his deputy, Abdel Fattah Mashat, and airport director Issam Nour.

All the pilgrims were tested for coronavirus before arriving in the Kingdom.

“It’s a slow and well-considered stage in which we are taking all health measures before the pilgrims arrival from their country, and throughout their Umrah journey in the Kingdom,” Mashat said. “Everyone has been ready to receive pilgrims since the flight first arrived. We are monitoring and revising everything on a daily basis.” Pilgrims may remain in the Kingdom for up to 10 days. They will undergo health checkups on arrival before being separated into groups of up to 50. The pilgrims will spend three days in isolation at their hotels before they are assessed by the Health Ministry.

The third stage of the resumption of Umrah began on Sunday, and the Kingdom is now preparing to receive 10,000 international pilgrims a day with the holy mosques working at 100 percent capacity. International

pilgrims may be no older than 50. Saudi Arabia will receive pilgrims from countries where the pandemic situation is stable. Countries are subject to continuous evaluation by the Saudi Center for Disease Prevention and Control ( Weqaya).

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah called on pilgrims, visitors and worshippers to adhere to precautionary measures such as wearing a mask, keeping hands sanitized and maintaining social distancing.