RIYADH — The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has clarified that Umrah permits will not be issued for domestic pilgrims above the age of 70 irrespective of their coronavirus vaccination status. “Citizens and expatriates in the Kingdom can apply for Umrah permits if their age is between 18 and 70 as per the instructions of the Ministry of Health. It is also not allowed to add children as companions whereas the permit holder can add his/her mother as a companion,” the ministry said. The ministry also revealed that taking coronavirus vaccination is not a prerequisite to obtain Umrah permits. “What is required is applying for the permit through the ministry’s Eatmarna application, apart from proving the health status of no coronavirus infection through the Tawakkalna application. The Ministry of Health had previously advised those wishing to perform Hajj and Umrah to come forward to take vaccines against coronavirus, while the assistant minister of Health and the Ministry spokesman Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdel Ali said on Sunday that the requirement of taking vaccination against coronavirus to perform Umrah is still under study. The ministry said recently that the vaccination against coronavirus is mandatory for those wishing to perform Hajj this year.