(RIYADH, Saudi Arabia) – A very small number of people dressed Sunday in the symbolic white sponge garment of The Muslim Pilgrimage and surrounded Islam’s holiest place in Mecca after Saudi Arabia lifted restrictions on the coronaviruses that had been in place for months.
The kingdom had taken the rare step in early March to suspend the small pilgrimage of the “umra”, which can be performed at any time of the year and attracts millions of people from all over the world, while coronavirus has become a global pandemic and has led countries to impose closures and curfews to reduce transmission.
But as nations begin to ease these restrictions, the Saudi government began Sunday to allow up to 6,000 pilgrims a day to enter the expanding Grand Mosque in Mecca. Only Saudi citizens and citizens will be able to enter the mosque in this first phase of reopening, and each user has up to 3 hours to complete the pilgrimage.
The Great Mosque, which is sterilized and cleaned several times a day, houses the cube-shaped Kaaba to which practicing Muslims pray five times a day.
Before visitors can enter the mosque to pray or perform the Umra, they must electronically request and book an express date and time through an online application to avoid overpopulation and maintain social distance. application.
State television showed on Sunday what gave the impression of being less than 50 more people circling around the Kaaba at the same time and walking several meters away. day and night.
The moment of relaxation phase of the restrictions in the Great Mosque will come into effect on October 18, which will allow a maximum of 15,000 pilgrims and 40,000 for prayer between citizens and citizens at the hours assigned through the application.
Muslim travelers from outside Saudi Arabia may be able to make the pilgrimage to Omra from 1 November, the Ministry of the Interior said. Saudi Arabia recently began to ease some restrictions on foreign flights for the first time since March.
The kingdom organized a symbolic Hajj pilgrimage that was significantly reduced in July, fearing that it would not be a global opportunity for super spread of the virus. Pilgrims decided after applying through an online portal and were all citizens of Saudi Arabia. the more than 2 million pilgrims the kingdom hosts for the annual occasion, only 1000 participated after being examined for the virus and quarantined.
Despite early and radical measures to involve the virus, Saudi Arabia has recorded nearly 336,000 cases, adding up to 4,850 deaths.