Cairo: It is estimated that nearly 2 million Muslims conducted Umrah or more secondary pilgrimage at the Grand Mosque in the Saudi sacred city of Mecca since the holy month of Ramadan started on April 2; this analysis came from the side of Saudi officials. 

Since the first of Ramadan, they have launched the rituals until its 10th day in line with health protection, added Osama bin Mansour, the assistant head at the Presidency General for Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques for Congregation Management.

The team of Mecca provides many services, including Integrated services at the Grand Mosque in order to suit the needs of pilgrims and worshippers, including designating tracks for the elderly and physically disabled people, said Osama bin Mansour. 

Furthermore, he added that the presidency general had dedicated all its support and capacity to serve Umrah pilgrims during the sacred month of Ramadan and completely specified the courtyard (around the holy Kabba) for them to undertake the circumambulation ceremony. 

The holy month of Muslims, ‘Ramadan,’ is usually the peak time of Umrah. 

Two weeks before, the Saudi government eased all the measures for performing Umrah as the kingdom had largely relaxed all the regulations against COVID-19. 

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has raised multiple precautionary measures, including cancellations of passes for praying at the Grand Mosque and seeing the Prophet’s Mohammed Mosque in Medina. 

Moreover, the Ministry also stated that the immunization check to enter both holy sites had been scrapped for all worshippers.

Moreover, the Ministry has cancelled the once-obligatory registration of immunisation data for overseas Muslims to get an umrah permit.

However, they made the compulsion of a mandatory presentation of a negative PCR test result to get access to both holy places has been lifted too.