RIYADH: Only people who have received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine approved by Saudi Arabia will be able to perform Umrah and visit the two holy mosques as of Sunday, the Hajj ministry announced.
Those who are exempted from taking the vaccine according to the Tawakkalna application will also be able to visit the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah.
The new rule will take effect at 6 a.m. on Sunday October 10 and comes as a precautionary measure to curb the spread of the virus.
Those who have already made bookings and have permits to perform Umrah or visit the two holy mosques and have not been double-jabbed must have their second dose 48 hours before the date on the permit in order to avoid cancelation.
Centers across the Kingdom are offering vaccine appointments and over 43.1 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the Kingdom to date.
There are currently four vaccines approved for use in the Kingdom: Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna.
The Ministry of Health has previously said it was possible for those who had completed their vaccination program with Sinopharm or Sinovac to be accepted in Saudi Arabia, provided they had received a booster shot of a vaccine that was approved in the Kingdom.
