KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 — The government of Saudi Arabia has issued 1,045,898 umrah visas, and a total of 895,499 pilgrims have arrived in the country since the 1443H umrah season reopened in August 2021 to date.
The figure is based on the arrivals of pilgrims recorded at all major entry points to Saudi Arabia, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). A total of 822,736 arrivals and 648,858 departures involved air routes, while 72,687 arrivals and 50,548 departures were via land route.
“Only 148 pilgrims’ movements have been recorded by sea (travel); 76 arrivals and 72 departures respectively”, according to statistical data as of April 7, 2022, provided by the Agency of Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for Visiting Affairs in Madinah.
Regarding the ‘Eatmarna’ application, the data stated that a total of 2,534,396 Raudhah pilgrimage permits had been issued involving 611,625 local pilgrims, 935,661 international pilgrims and 987,110 visitors.
Last month, Saudi Arabia announced the abolition of all Covid-19 restrictions – including mandatory quarantine, submission of Covid-19 vaccination certificates and PCR testing – prior to or upon arrival in the country.
The move was made following a drop in cases and the achievement of 99 per cent vaccination rate for all residents aged 12 and above.
— Bernama
