Foreign pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah are required to present a negative PCR or rapid antigen test certificate on arrival in the Kingdom, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said on Monday.Total 8,957 people have so far been died of pandemic " COVID-19 in the kingdom while total number of complete recoveries has increased to 6,70,780
The test must be taken no more than 48 hours before the pilgrim departs for the Kingdom and the ruling will come into effect on Wednesday at 1 a.m.
The test must be taken regardless of the pilgrim’s vaccination status, the ministry added.
Saudi Arabia announced three deaths from COVID-19 and 3,747 new infections on Monday.
Of the new cases, 1,242 were recorded in Riyadh, 245 in Jeddah, 205 in Dammam, and 133 in Hofuf. Several other cities recorded less than one hundred new cases each.
The total number of recoveries in the Kingdom increased to 670,780 after 4,083 more patients recovered from the virus.
A total of 8,957 people have succumbed to the virus in the Kingdom so far.
Over 58.5 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the Kingdom to date.The General Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques has allocated 34 paths in the Mataf for Umrah pilgrims after re-applying preventive and precautionary measures at the Grand Mosque.
Each path is equipped with guideline stickers that outline social distancing rules.
Director of Crowds Planning Administration Ayman Falamban said that necessary plans were made to provide prayer areas with stickers to ensure that social-distancing was observed.
Pilgrims and worshippers are also being given specific times for access to the mosque, and people are being asked to adhere to the times shown on their permits on the Eatmarna app to stay safe.
Falamban added that the administration is committed to applying all quality and safety standards for visitors of the Grand Mosque through adopting several procedures, such as social distancing and allocating certain routes, so as to improve the level of services offered during this Umrah season.
Recently, the presidency reimposed social distancing measures in the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque to ensure the health and safety of visitors and intensify preventive measures against COVID-19 and its variants.
The presidency has reinstated social distancing stickers inside the mosques, and also doubled cleaning and sterilization inside all buildings, meaning the holy sites are now sterilized 10 times per day.
Copies of the Qur'an at the mosques are also being wiped down to ensure the safety of visitors.The presidency also requested all visitors to adhere to preventive measures and precautionary procedures, including wearing masks, sanitizing hands, and cooperating with staff and members of institutions serving visitors.