RIYADH — The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has set an interval of 10 days between the issuance of two Umrah permits for pilgrims of all age groups. A pilgrim, who obtained a permit to perform Umrah, can book an appointment for a second Umrah through the Eatmarna or Tawakkalna applications at the end of the specified 10-day period after the performance of the first Umrah. The ministry gave this clarification on its Twitter account in response to a query made by a worshiper on this matter. The ministry attributed this restriction to the recent re-imposition of the coronavirus health precautionary measures and preventive protocols such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing at the Two Holy Mosques following a surge in coronavirus cases, especially the new mutated Omicron variant, in the Kingdom. It is noteworthy that the ministry had earlier imposed a gap of 15 days between the performances of two Umrah pilgrimages but canceled it later in October 2021. The Saudi authorities have lifted all coronavirus related restrictions and started allowing performance of Umrah and prayers at the Two Holy Mosques and visit to Al-Rawda Sharif at the Prophet's Mosque to their full capacity effective from Oct. 17 following a directive of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. All domestic and foreign pilgrims and worshipers who are aged 12 or above and have an immune health status on their Tawakkalna application after completing vaccines against coronavirus will be allowed to perform Umrah and prayer at the Grand Mosque.
