Riyadh: Mecca Mukaramah a Grand Mosque on Sunday Reopens its doors to the first group of pilgrims to perform Umrah after six months of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
The pilgrims entered the Mecca Mukaramah a Grand Mosque at 6 a.m, after requesting through the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Saudi Arabia’s Eatmarna application, reports Arab News.
As part of its measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s had suspended the umrah pilgrimage and prayers in mosques in Mid-March.
Saudi authorities have partially resumed the umrah pilgrimage taking extensive health precautions after seven-month COVID-19.
Many pilgrims have entered the grand mosque in the holy city of Macca to perform umrah .the pilgrimage usually attracts millions of Muslims across the globe each year.
Minister Mohammed Benten said last week that 6000 pilgrims will be allowed in the first stage to perform the umrah “meticulously and within a specified period of time”.
According to state media, many precautions have been adopted to ward off any outbreak during the umrah.
The black stone (al-Ḥajaru al-Aswad,) in the east corner of the Kaaba, which is not mandatory to touch during the pilgrimage, will be out of reach, while the grand mosque will be sanitized before and after each group of pilgrims.
Mohammed Benten said that Every group of 20 and 25 pilgrims will go along with a health worker and medical teams will be in the ground in case of emergency.
The second stage umrah will start from October 18 and the number of umrah pilgrims will be increased by 15,000 per day, with a maximum of 40,000 people.
Pilgrims and other worshippers will be allowed to perform prayers at the grand mosque tourists from abroad will be permitted in the third stage from November.
Saudi Arabia has suspended the umrah in March and scaled back the hajj over fears that the COVID-19 could spread to the holiest cities.
The hajj went ahead in late July, with only up to 10,000 Muslims were allowed to perform the hajj.
