The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced on Tuesday the success of the Umrah season and the organizational and health measures in place amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Throughout the holy month of Ramadan, over 15.5 million people performed prayers, including 5.1 million Umrah pilgrims, at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. No coronavirus infection was reported among them.
Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Abdulfattah Mashat told Asharq Al-Awsat that the ministry had employed all of its energy, in coordination with all concerned parties, to ensure the success of the Umrah during Ramadan.
He said that it had set preemptive plans and strategies that were prepared in advance before the advent of Ramadan.
The fact that not a single coronavirus infection was reported among the millions of worshippers throughout this period is evidence of the success of these plans, he stressed.
Worshippers were required to have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
Mashat said that the regulations stipulated that a Umrah pilgrim must have received one or two shots of the vaccine.
This measure is sufficient at this stage to ensure everyone’s safety, he remarked.
