Only vaccinated or immune worshippers will be allowed to conduct Umrah and daily prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina during Ramazan, Saudi Arabian authorities announced on Monday.
The permits will be given to worshippers who have already received the two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, or those who received the first dose 14 days before applying for the permit and have already recovered from the infection, according to the kingdom’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
“It has been determined that anyone found attempting to conduct Umrah without an official permit during the holy month of Ramazan will be fined SR10,000,” a Ministry of Interior source told the Saudi Press Agency.
Anyone found attempting to reach Makkah’s holy site (Al-Haram Al-Makki) to pray without a permit will be fined SR1,000, according to the statement (Approx. Rs0.4 million). “Until the pandemic is over and public life returns to normal, this penalty will be enforced.”
