All Umrah pilgrims arriving to Saudi Arabia will be required to present a negative PCR or antigen test report taken within 48 hours of departing to the Kingdom regardless of their “immune” status, the Kingdom’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced on Monday.
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The ministry added that these measures, which aim to protect the safety and health of visitors, will go into effect on February 9, 2022.
The COVID-19 pandemic had brought Umrah and Hajj to a halt. Last year, the Kingdom limited the Hajj pilgrimage to 60,000 residents and nationals living in the Kingdom due to the pandemic.
Earlier in February, the Kingdom’s authorities mandated booster shots in order to be considered “immune” in the country’s contact-tracing Tawakkalna app for people over 18 who were vaccinated more than eight months ago.
Authorities also passed a law mandating all arrivals into the Kingdom present a negative PCR or antigen test report within 48 hours before departing to and arriving in Saudi Arabia.
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