The Holy Month Of Ramadan will begin soon, and unlike last year, pilgrims can now pay homage at Makkah and Medinah. In fact, pilgrims offering Umrah during Ramadan don’t need to be vaccinated against covid-19, said Saudi Arabian authorities. However, other preventive measures will stay in place.
Pilgrims Don’t Need To Obtain A Covid Vaccination To Perform Umrah During Ramadan
Saudi Arabia halted the pilgrimage in March 2020 amid the pandemic, but it has now restarted in limited numbers with slots booked through a government app. On this, the Hajj and Umrah Ministry on Twitter said,
“Until now, there are no requirements for pilgrims to obtain a coronavirus vaccine to perform Umrah during Ramadan. The permitted ages are between 18 and 70.”
Volunteers And People Working For This Will Have To Get Vaccinated Before The Start of Ramadan
However, people working in those sectors have to get vaccinated before the start of Ramadan, which will be on April 12, the ministry said. Non-vaccinated employees will have to provide a negative PCR test result every seven days, in line with other rules. To ensure the safety of residents and citizens, authorities will intensify inspections during the holy month.
In terms of coronavirus, The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia has recorded 390,000 infections and 6,669 deaths. The kingdom started with the vaccination program in December 2020 and has administered more than four million doses until now. Nearly 70 per cent of citizens and residents who registered through the application have received the dose.
For Hajj, there’s no official announcement on the regulation for this once-in-a-lifetime duty. So we have to wait and see how the authorities help to handle Hajj and the month of Ramadan amid the covid-19 pandemic.