First foreign pilgrims perform Umrah as Saudi Arabia lifts COVID-19 ban

LONDON: The first foreign pilgrims to arrive in Saudi Arabia after a temporary ban to curb the spread of COVID-19 was lifted performed Umrah on Wednesday evening.

The president of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques Sheikh Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sudais greeted the pilgrims on their arrival at the Grand Mosque. 
The pilgrims arrived in the Kingdom on Sunday and observed a self-isolation period of three days.

King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah received the first flights of international pilgrims on Sunday from Pakistan and Indonesia.

The Kingdom temporarily suspended Umrah pilgrimages at the end of February as a preventative measure to stop the spread of the coronavirus.