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

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced on Friday 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 ahead of this year’s Hajj season.

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.

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.