Saudi Arabia to reopen borders for vaccinated Umrah pilgrims

Saudi Arabia will begin accepting vaccinated foreign pilgrims seeking to visit Makkah, state media reported, around 18 months after a border closure prompted by the coronavirus pandemic

Authorities in the ministry responsible for coordinating foreign pilgrims will from Monday begin “gradually receiving Umrah requests from various countries of the world”, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Any foreign pilgrims must be immunised with a Saudi-recognised vaccine and agree to undergo quarantine, the SPA report said, citing Saudi deputy minister Abdulfattah bin Sulaiman Mashat.