COVID-19: Saudi authorities say only 'immunised' pilgrims will be allowed in Mecca

Saudi authorities on Monday, April 5, said that only the people who have been immunised against the coronavirus will be allowed to perform the Umrah pilgrimage, which will be starting from the holy month of Ramadan. Also, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, in a statement, said that it would increase the operational capacity of the holy mosque as a part of the COVID-19 measures and restrictions. As per the statement, only "immunized" people will be given the permits to perform Umrah. 

The condition involves those people who have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine or those people who received one dose of the vaccine at least 14 days before performing the pilgrimage. People who have recovered from the virus can also get the permit. "An official source at the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah stated that, based on the wise leadership’s keenness on the health and safety of those visiting the Two Holy Mosques and those working to serve them with the close proximity of the blessed month of Ramadan, it has been decided to raise the operational capacity of the Grand Mosque in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, with adherence to all precautionary measures and preventive measures issued by the competent authorities", read the official statement. 

When the kingdom hosted the hajj in late July last year, only 10,000 Muslim residents of Saudi Arabia itself were allowed to take part as compared to 2.5 million Muslims from around the world in 2019. However, it is unclear that how many pilgrims will be allowed this year. 

Compulsory vaccination required

In a bid to control the virus from spreading, Muslims from foreign nations were barred from entering Saudi Arabia for the first time in modern times in the year 2020. Earlier this month, Saudi Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah had reportedly said that compulsory vaccination would be required for all pilgrims who will be attending the five-day event in July. Hajj is considered as the once-in-a-lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can also afford it. In the same reported circular, al-Rabiah said the government must be prepared to secure the manpower required to operate the health facilities in Mecca and Medina.

Drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination stations

As per a tally by the Johns Hopkins University, Saudi Arabia has reported a total of 393,377 cases with over 6,700 fatalities. Saudi Arabia launched drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination stations in Riyadh, Mecca, Medina and Abha earlier this week. The kingdom’s health ministry had launched the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive on February 18 and inoculated a wider range of categories of people. Saudi food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has approved Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccines.

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