Saudi ministry: Only Hajj pilgrims permitted to perform Umrah through July 19

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced on Friday (June 24) that only Hajj pilgrims will be allowed to perform Umrah between June 24 and July 19.

The ministry added in a tweet that registering to perform Umrah via the Eatmarna app will be available again on July 19.

A total of 172,562 pilgrims arrived in the Kingdom by Tuesday (June 21) ahead of this year’s Hajj season, the Alarabiya English reported.

One of the five pillars of Islam, the Hajj must be undertaken by all Muslims who have the means at least once in their lives.

The Kingdom will allow one million pilgrims from inside and outside the country to participate in this year’s Hajj.

Saudi Arabia announces to welcome one million Muslims for this year's hajj

Hajj is usually one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, with about 2.5 million people performing the ritual in 2019.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Kingdom had sharply decreased the number of pilgrims allowed to perform the ritual.

Source: alarabiyaenglish