JEDDAH – Hajj and Umrah authorities announced that there is no need to get a permit to perform prayer at Makkah Grand Mosque and Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
However, those wishing to perform prayer must be Covid negative and vaccinated. The development comes days after Kingdom eased stern regulations about social distancing at Makkah Grand Mosque.
Earlier, the faithful needed to make an advance booking for offering prayers at two of Islam’s holiest sites.
Meanwhile, the authorities advised people suffering from novel virus to avoid visiting Makkah Grand Mosque, and Prophet's Mosque in Madina.
Last week, Muslim pilgrims performed the final Hajj rituals on Sunday as the annual Islamic pilgrimage ended at Makkah’s Grand Mosque.
Muslims around the world were allowed to perform Hajj and celebrate the Eidul-Adha as Kingdom welcomed up to one million pilgrims, mostly from abroad, this year.
Foreign Hajj pilgrims returned two years after restrictions were placed amid the Covid pandemic, during which authorities allowed only local residents to perform the pilgrimage.