No coronavirus cases recorded among Umrah pilgrims so far: Officials

There have been no reported cases of the novel coronavirus among Umrah pilgrims in Saudi Arabia so far, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) cited the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques as saying on Wednesday.

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“On the fourth day of the pilgrimage, we received some 24,000 worshipers, none of whom showed symptoms of the virus,” the presidency’s spokesperson said.

The Umrah pilgrimage gradually resumed in the Kingdom on October 4 almost seven months after it was suspended in mid-March as part of precautionary measures against the novel coronavirus.

Muslims perform Umrah at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)

Citizens and residents are allowed to perform Umrah at a 30 percent capacity, which means the hundreds of thousands of visitors who normally perform the ritual will be limited to only 6,000 people a day.

The number of people who will be allowed to perform Umrah will be reviewed periodically, according to the presidency.

“The presidency coordinated with the Health Ministry in preparing four health isolation centers for any pilgrim who shows any symptoms of the virus or who is suspected of contracting it,” the spokesperson added.

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