- The move is to ensure that all safety measures adopted by the government to keep the virus
- Only Saudi pilgrims can make the Hajj this year, like last year
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has cautioned pilgrims not to travel to Mecca to perform the Hajj unless they have a smart card and a documented official permit. The move is to ensure that all safety measures adopted by the government to keep the virus at bay are adhered to by the pilgrims.
According to Arab News, Dr. Abdulfattah Mashat, deputy minister of Hajj and Umrah, said that the permit will be matched with the electronic card and the pilgrim’s ID, noting that there is no platform to apply for Hajj except the official website of the ministry. “Any company that offers service packages outside the ministry’s platform is violating the system,” he said.
“At the first stages of the ‘Eatmarna’ application, we noticed some violations by some entities and individuals, but with the passage of time, community awareness began to increase.”
Mashat said this year’s Hajj will use permits through the “Absher” platform only. Information for those who purchased their Hajj packages on the ministry’s platform will be linked to Absher and their ID. According to the deputy minister, more than 470,000 applications have been received as of Wednesday at 5 p.m. as all met the conditions of immunization and have never performed Hajj before.
More than 470,000 applications have been received as of Wednesday at 5 p.m. as all met the conditions of immunization and have never performed Hajj before. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah called on all domestic pilgrims connected with the ministry to adhere to health instructions to enable those wishing to perform Hajj.
The ministry said resident locations will apply visual and thermal screening procedures upon pilgrims’ entrance and movement. The allocated hotels in Makkah and Madinah must conform to the requirements listed by the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, and other bodies concerned with monitoring the accommodation of pilgrims.