In an unprecedented move that will likely have massive repercussions the world over, Saudi Arabia has imposed a temporary ban on all umrah (minor hajj) pilgrims to keep the county safe from the coronavirus.
As reported by Arab News, the temporary ban was one of several precautionary restrictions announced on Thursday as health authorities in the country observed the latest developments of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
In addition to umrah pilgrims, the Saudi government will also impose a similar ban on tourist-visa holders from “countries judged to pose a particularly high risk of spreading the virus”.
The country welcomes nearly 7 million umrah pilgrims every year, most of whom arrive at airports in Jeddah and Madinah. Data from the Saudi Hajj and Umrah Ministry show that, as of last December, Indonesia contributed the second highest number of umrah pilgrims with 443,879 arrivals, just below Pakistan with 495,270.
Indonesian Religious Affairs Ministry staffer Ubaidillah Amin Moch said that requests for umrah visas and other visas to Saudi Arabia would be stopped as of Thursday and that a number of pilgrims had been held up at the airport due to the new restrictions.
“We respect Saudi Arabia’s decision as part of an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and we ask all Indonesian umrah pilgrims to be patient while we wait for the Saudi government to reopen [access],” he said in a statement on Thursday.
“We ask the management of umrah travel agencies to be proactive in conveying this information to the pilgrims,” he added, saying that the ministry was awaiting further information from the Saudi government.
