Umrah Pilgrimage: Saudi Arabia suspended the umrah in March (File)
Mecca:
Masks-clad Muslims circled Islam’s holiest website alongside socially distanced paths on Sunday, as Saudi authorities partially resumed the year-round umrah pilgrimage amid in depth well being precautions after seven-month coronavirus hiatus.
1000’s of worshippers entered the Grand Mosque within the holy metropolis of Mecca in batches to carry out the ritual of circling the sacred Kaaba, a cubic construction in the direction of which Muslims all over the world pray.
The umrah, the pilgrimage that may be undertaken at any time, normally attracts hundreds of thousands of Muslims from throughout the globe every year nevertheless it was suspended in March as a result of coronavirus pandemic.
Will probably be revived in three phases, with Saudi Hajj Minister Mohammad Benten saying final week that 6,000 pilgrims per day might be allowed within the first stage to carry out the umrah “meticulously and inside a specified time frame”.
A raft of precautions have been adopted to thrust back any outbreaks in the course of the umrah, in line with state media.
The revered Black Stone within the japanese nook of the Kaaba — which it’s customary however not necessary to the touch in the course of the pilgrimage — might be out of attain, whereas the Grand Mosque might be sterilised earlier than and after every group of worshippers.
Every group of 20 or 25 pilgrims might be accompanied by a well being employee and medical groups might be on the bottom in case of an emergency, Benten stated.
Beneath the second stage from October 18, the variety of umrah pilgrims might be elevated to 15,000 per day, with a most of 40,000 individuals, together with pilgrims and different worshippers, allowed to carry out prayers on the mosque.
Guests from overseas might be permitted within the third stage from November 1, when capability might be raised to 20,000 and 60,000, respectively.
The choice to renew the pilgrimage was in response to the “aspirations of Muslims residence and overseas” to carry out the ritual and go to the holy websites, the inside ministry stated final month.
It added that the umrah could be allowed to return to full capability as soon as the specter of the pandemic has abated.
Till then, the well being ministry will vet international locations from which pilgrims are allowed to enter primarily based on the well being dangers.
Saudi Arabia suspended the umrah in March and scaled again the annual hajj over fears that the coronavirus may unfold to Islam’s holiest cities.
The hajj went forward in late July, on the smallest scale in trendy historical past, with solely as much as 10,000 Muslims allowed to participate — a far cry from the two.5 million who participated final yr.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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