The date was not yet defined but it was expected.

Saudi Arabia will allow pilgrims vaccinated against the coronavirus coming from abroad to perform Umrah, the small Muslim pilgrimage, 18 months after the closure of the borders of the kingdom, guardian of the two holy cities of Islam.

Saudi authorities will begin accepting applications for entry into the country from Monday, August 9, the official Saudi press agency SPA said on Sunday.

Foreign pilgrims wishing to travel to Mecca will need to be vaccinated, with a vaccine recognized by Saudi Arabia (Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson), and submit to quarantine rules, the agency added, citing the ministry in charge of pilgrimages.

Up to two thousand pilgrims each month

Each month, up to two million pilgrims will be able to perform Umrah, previously reserved only for vaccinated pilgrims residing in Saudi Arabia.

The authorities are in the process of establishing a list of authorized countries, and looking into measures to be put in place country by country, still according to SPA.

The Covid-19 epidemic has severely disrupted the hajj - great annual pilgrimage - and Umrah pilgrimages, important sources of income for the kingdom.

Saudi officials last month staged the hajj for the second year in a row amid a pandemic, limiting pilgrims to 60,000 Saudis and resident foreigners vaccinated, up from 10,000 the previous year.

In 2019, 2.5 million people had performed the hajj.

" Relief "

The small pilgrimage, which unlike the hajj can be performed throughout the year, normally attracts millions of visitors from all over the world each year.

The announcement of the resumption of Umrah aroused the joy of the faithful.

“I feel relieved to resume Umrah.

Psychologically I need to go to Mecca, ”Ahmad Hamadna, 33-year-old Egyptian commercial director, told AFP.

Egyptian engineer Mohammed Rajab, who lives in Australia, is worried, however.

"There will be a lot of people, and the possibility of infection will be high, even if the pilgrims are vaccinated," he said by message.

Both will not be able to travel directly to Saudi Arabia due to the suspension of direct flights between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as the suspension of international flights to Australia.

Economic bargain

In normal times, the hajj and Umrah bring in some 12 billion dollars (10.2 billion euros) per year to Saudi Arabia, which is trying to diversify its ultra-dependent economy on oil.

They are also a boon for airlines and travel agencies.

Hairdressers, tour operators or souvenir sellers… In Mecca, hundreds of thousands of jobs have suffered from the pandemic.

In 2020, only 5.8 million people performed Umrah, a decrease of 69% compared to 2019 according to official figures.

And during the hajj this year, marked by a strict sanitary protocol, the streets of Mecca were almost empty.

The shops remained deserted and some hotels and souvenir shops closed.

An accelerated vaccination campaign

Since the start of the health crisis, Saudi Arabia has officially recorded more than 532,000 cases of coronavirus and more than 8,300 deaths.

The government accelerated the vaccination campaign in early August, with the aim of reviving tourism and hosting sporting events and shows.

Vaccination is now compulsory to enter public and private establishments, including schools and places of entertainment, as well as to use public transport.

At the end of July, the kingdom also announced the reopening of its borders to foreign tourists vaccinated from August 1.

Long reclusive, the kingdom issued its first tourist visas in 2019. Between September 2019 and the border closure in March 2020, it registered 400,000 tourist visas.

World

Saudi Arabia: The liner "MSC Bellissima" sails in the waters of the kingdom, which is open to cruises

World

Project Pegasus: accused of espionage, Saudi Arabia denies

  • World

  • Saudi Arabia

  • Pilgrimage

  • Islam

  • Covid 19

  • Anti-covid vaccine

  • Coronavirus