JEDDAH — The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah welcomed the arrival of Umrah performers from outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through its airports with the first batch of 50 pilgrims coming from Iraq. The pilgrims are being welcomed amidst a comprehensive system of services and preventive measures to preserve the health and safety of Umrah performers. The Ministry had halted accepting Umrah applications as a precautionary measure to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The phase of accepting Umrah applications from outside Saudi Arabia gradually follows a previous phase that allowed citizens and residents to perform Umrah. The Ministry, in coordination with stakeholders, is working to facilitate the arrival of Umrah performers from abroad and update the list of countries that people can directly come from. This list is prepared by relevant authorities depending on the health curves of the countries of Umrah performers. The General Directorate of Passports had said on Saturday that it has completed all necessary human and technical preparations to receive and provide necessary services to pilgrims arriving in the Kingdom from abroad. Meanwhile, the Directorate of Passports at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah were geared to receive the first flights of pilgrims coming from abroad Saturday, and ready to process their entrance into the Kingdom with ease and as per the precautionary and preventive measures. Saudi Arabia plans to increase the numbers of Umrah pilgrims to reach 120,000 daily from 60,000 at present, according to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Abdulfattah Bin Sulaiman Mashat stressed that the ministry received Umrah performers coming from various countries and offered all necessary services, pointing out the importance of committing to health and preventive measures. These measures include attaching a certificate of vaccination accredited by concerned authorities in the Kingdom and the country of Umrah performer, an acknowledgement of true information, and commitment to institutional quarantine that is determined by respective airlines that Umrah performers use to enter Saudi Arabia as per the list of countries that required Umrah performers to observe quarantine. — SPA