Tag: Umrah

  • Pakistanis have to get booster shots in order to perform Umrah

    Pakistanis have to get booster shots in order to perform Umrah

    Pakistanis have to get booster shots of one of the four approved vaccines, i.e. Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson in order to perform Umrah. Saudi Arabia is to begin accepting vaccinated foreign visitors for Umrah, reports Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The Saudi authorities will begin taking travel requests starting today and will increase the number of Umrah performers to two million per month. The Kingdom closed its borders some 18 months ago because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    According to the official guidelines for travellers to the KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), “Guests who have completed two doses of the Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccines will be accepted if they have received an additional dose of one of the four vaccines approved in the Kingdom.”

    “All visitors arriving in the country with a valid tourism visa must provide evidence of a full course of one the four vaccines currently recognised: two doses of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or a single dose of the vaccine produced by Johnson and Johnson,” reads the guidelines.

    The Kingdom announced on Sunday about reopening their borders for Umrah, a move that will boost an economy hit by the Covid pandemic. Domestic and overseas pilgrims will have to include authorised Covid-19 vaccination certificates along with their Umrah application. “A certificate of immunisation certified by the official authorities in the country of the Umrah performer must be attached within the documents of requesting the performance of Umrah rituals, with the condition that the vaccines be approved in the Kingdom.” Moreover, foreign visitors from Saudi entry-ban list will have to undergo quarantine.

    Saudi Arabia has recorded nearly 532,000 coronavirus cases and more than 8,300 deaths.

  • Saudi Arabia will only allow vaccinated pilgrims to perform Umrah

    Saudi Arabia has announced that only people immunised against COVID-19 will be allowed to perform the year-round Umrah pilgrimage during the month of Ramzan.

    Al Jazeera, quoting the Saudi press agency, reported: “Immune persons who [have] received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine/immune person after 14 days of receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine / immune person who has recovered from the infection will [only] be allowed to perform Umrah.”

    It further said that “Umrah permits and visit permits for the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah will increase operational capacity during the month of Ramadan, which begins next week.”

    The holy sites, which draw millions of pilgrims every year, are a key revenue earner for Saudi Arabia, which hopes to welcome 30 million pilgrims to the Kingdom annually by 2030.

  • Saudi Arabia to resume Umrah gradually from October 4

    Saudi Arabia will gradually resume the year-round Umrah pilgrimage from October 4, the interior ministry said on Tuesday, seven months after it was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    In the first stage, “6,000 citizens and residents within the Kingdom will be allowed to perform the umrah per day from October 4”, the ministry said in a statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency.

    Visitors from outside the Kingdom will be permitted from November 1, when Umrah’s capacity will be raised to 20,000 pilgrims per day, the ministry said.

    The Umrah, which refers to the Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah that can be undertaken at any time of year, attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe each year.

    The ministry said Umrah would be allowed to resume at full capacity once the threat of the pandemic is eliminated.

    Saudi Arabia suspended the Umrah in March and scaled back the annual Hajj over fears that the coronavirus could spread to the holiest cities.

    IN PICTURES: Hajj 2020

    The decision to resume Umrah was in response to the “aspirations of Muslims home and abroad” to perform the ritual and visit the holy sites, the interior ministry said.

    Saudi Arabia’s custodianship of Makkah and Madinah – two holiest sites – is seen as the Kingdom’s most powerful source of political legitimacy.

    The holy sites, which draw millions of pilgrims every year, are a key revenue earner for Saudi Arabia, which hopes to welcome 30 million pilgrims to the Kingdom annually by 2030.

  • Coronavirus: PIA suffers Rs2 billion loss

    Coronavirus: PIA suffers Rs2 billion loss

    The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has suffered a loss of Rs2 billion following the suspension of flights to Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the coronavirus-triggered temporary ban on Umrah.

    PIA officials told reporters on Tuesday that the airlines’ schedule had been seriously disturbed as tickets of 50,000 passengers had been cancelled so far. They further said that 34 flights to Medina and 13 to Mecca were scheduled weekly for business visa and iqama holders despite fewer passengers.

    Meanwhile, after Iran and Qatar, PIA has decided to temporarily suspend flight operations to Italy to keep a check on coronavirus.

    PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez said in a press release that the national carrier had temporarily suspended its flight operation to and from Milan till March 31. However, he said the passengers having the nationality of any European country could travel to Paris by PIA flights.

    He said on reaching Paris, the passengers would have to manage their onward journey on their own.  The passengers, who had reserved their seats for Pakistan from Milan, would have to travel to Paris on their own to catch a PIA flight.

  • Israelis thought they could visit Saudi Arabia: Saudi says No

    Israelis thought they could visit Saudi Arabia: Saudi says No

    Israel had officially given its citizens the right to travel to Saudi Arabia for religious and business visits but the Saudi foreign minister, in response, said that Israelis are not welcome to Saudi Arabia “at the moment”.

    The Israeli interior ministry announced the decision saying that they approve the travel to Saudi Arabia for Hajj or Umrah and also that business travellers must have an invitation and arranged visitation approval.

    Although Israel has made the decision, the gesture was seen as a warming of ties between the two countries since Saudi Arabia does not recognise the State of Israel.

    Travelers to Middle Eastern countries would use this border crossing into Jordan to go to other countries

    Israelis travel to Saudi Arabia through countries like Jordan and Egypt, which have peaceful ties with Israel. The visits were never official but nonetheless, they take place.

    Israel has had difficult ties with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries due to its illegal occupation of Palestine and the atrocities it has committed against the Palestinian people.

  • Humayun Saeed welcomes New Year at Makkah, performs Umrah

    Humayun Saeed welcomes New Year at Makkah, performs Umrah

    Humayun Saeed welcomed his New Year at Makkah by performing Umrah.

    Taking to social media, the actor shared that he always wished to begin the new year at the “most sacred place” and his wish finally came true this year. Humayun shared that he prayed for his country and fans.

    Humayun is accompanied by his brother and wife. His wife, Samina also expressed her happiness on social media.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B6v3NIylfLH/

  • Maximum number of Umrah pilgrims in 2019 were Pakistanis

    The maximum number of Umrah pilgrims to Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the season on August 31 until December 26, 2019 were Pakistanis official statistics released by the Kingdom have revealed.

    According to a report in Arab News, 495,270 Pakistanis performed their Umrah during the period, followed by 443,879 Indonesians and 262,887 Indians. Other countries on the list included Malaysia, Egypt, Algeria, Turkey, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

    Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Ministry Spokesman Imran Siddiqui expressed his happiness at the news and iterated that “Pakistan was the number one country with more than 1.7 million people performing Umrah last year.”

    While Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have always enjoyed good relations in the past, following Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ascent to office, the friendship between the two countries has further strengthened.

    Saudi Arabia has also relaxed its strict laws under the Vision 2030 reforms plan, making it easier for pilgrims to visit the Arab state. The plan aims to attract more than 30 million Umrah pilgrims and provide them with excellent services.