Abu Dhabi: Hundreds of resident pilgrims were welcomed on Sunday in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to carry out the Omra, the small pilgrimage of Islam, as a component of strict fitness protocols to stop the spread of COVID-19, local media reported.
The umrah pilgrims toured the sacred Kaaba, a cubic design within the Grand Mosque of Mecca to which Muslims around the world pray, on socially remote paths. The Kingdom resumes Omra’s pilgrimage for Muslims throughout the year, seven months after its suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He suspended umrah in March and then reduced annual haj in one blow to millions of pilgrims around the world, fearing that the coronavirus might spread to Islam’s holiest sites. Initially, 6,000 citizens of the kingdom will be allowed to perform the Umra daily from October 4, the ministry said in a published through the official Saudi news agency.
Visitors to the outside of the kingdom will be allowed from 1 November, when the capacity of the Umra will exceed 20,000 pilgrims according to the day, the ministry added.
The umrah, which refers to the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can take place at any time of the year, attracts millions of Muslims from all over the world every year.
The ministry said Omra would be allowed to resume full “natural capacity” once the pandemic risk is removed.
The resolve to resume the Umrah in reaction to the “aspirations of Muslims at home and abroad” to carry out the ritual and make a stopover in the sacred places, added the ministry.
The resolution comes after the kingdom made the smallest haj in fashion history in late July, with only 10,000 Muslims allowed to participate in total, far from the 2. 5 million who participated last year.
The health government said no cases of coronavirus were reported in the sacred sites of the haj, one of the five pillars of Islam and a duty to healthy Muslims at least once in their lives.
Haj and umrah pilgrimages are a massive logistical challenge, with colossal crowds cradled in small sacred places, making them vulnerable to contagion.
The kingdom has sought to involve an increase in infections, which have now increased to 336,000 cases, the Gulf, and more than 4,800 deaths.
But Saudi Arabia also reported a maximum recovery rate, which exceeded 320,000 on Saturday.
Last month, Saudi Arabia partially lifted its suspension of foreign flights, six months after restrictions were imposed due to the pandemic.
Saudi Arabia will expand its capacity in Mecca to accommodate more than 30 million visitors a year, as a component of the Vision 2030 strategy to promote expansion and tourism.
Separated from the haj, the Umrah is a general Islamic pilgrimage that can be made at any time of the year. Although not obligatory, it is seen as a path to religion and ensures a more complete enjoyment of the haj.
The rites of umrah are the popular Ramadan, when healthy Muslims speed up the day as one of the five pillars of Islam.
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