Jeddah, August 15, 2021, SPA -- The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced the arrival of the first batch of Umrah performers from outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through airports, 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 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia gradually follows a previous phase that allowed citizens and residents to perform Umrah, while 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. 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 of Saudi Arabia 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 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as per the list of countries that required Umrah performers to observe quarantine. --SPA 16:06 LOCAL TIME 13:06 GMT 0016 www.spa.gov.sa/w1602866