RIYADH – The Saudi Hajj Ministry has revised the policy for Umrah, allowingthe pilgrims to perform one Umrah every 10 days.
Report of *Haramain Sharifain* quoting Ministry of Hajj officials said theauthorities restricted pilgrims to perform multiple Umrah on arrival inwake of the surge in Covid cases driven by Omicron variant.
The statement added that the restriction was imposed under the new measuresto prevent the spread of the novel virus in the Grand Mosque of Makkah.
Earlier, the Ministry had removed all capacity restrictions and visitorscould obtain permits without any waiting period however the pilgrims toobserve social distancing in the Two Holy Mosques.
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Social distancing measures were applied in prayer areas and pilgrimsperforming Umrah on the virtual tawaf paths to protect the health andsafety of visitors. Workers at the Two Holy Mosques are urged to wear masksand observe access times on their permits.
Authorities directed all pilgrims to wear masks at all times to limit thespread of the latest Covid variant. The recent restrictions were re-imposedas the world witnessed a rapid increase in the numbers of infections due tothe Omicron variant, a coronavirus strain with an unusually large number ofmutations.
