Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH – The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced that only fully vaccinated pilgrims with two doses will be allowed to apply for the permit for performing Umrah and prayer at the Grand Mosque in Makkah starting from Sunday, Oct. 10.

The same condition will apply for the application of a permit to visit the Rawdah Sharif and the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him) at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.

The ministry clarified that categories exempted from taking vaccinations, as shown by Tawakkalna application, will not be affected by the rule.

The ministry asked all those who have been issued permits to take the second dose 48 hours before the date of the permit to avoid cancelation.

It’s worth mentioning that appointments are available at the vaccination centers throughout the Kingdom.

This means that the categories of pilgrims who have taken one dose of vaccine or recovered from infection will no longer enjoy the right to book an appointment to obtain permit for performing Umrah and prayer at the Grand Mosque as well as for the visit of the Rawdah Sharif and the grave of the Prophet (pbuh) at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah through the Eatmarna and Tawakkalna applications.

The ministry indicated that all precautionary and preventive measures related to the pandemic are subject to continuous evaluation by the Public Health Authority (Weqaya), according to the developments in the epidemiological situation.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health had announced that the health status on the Tawakkalna application would be updated effective after Oct. 10 and under which the status of immune would be given only for those people who have completed vaccination.

According to the new update, the health status will be shown immune on the Tawakkalna application only for those who received two doses of any of the vaccines of Pfizer-BionTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Moderna, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The MoH emphasized that the health status of immune will not include those who have received one dose of vaccine and recovered from infection of coronavirus before or after the date of taking the first dose.