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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysians travelling to Saudi Arabia to perform their umrah must receive a mandatory Covid-19 booster shot first, said the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (MoTaC), seeing that it is one of the conditions requested by Riyadh.
In a statement today, MoTaC stated that the new standard operating procedures on umrah package travels will be implemented from February 14 while those performing their pilgrimages between February 8 to February 13 will utilise the current SOPs.
“Tour operators offering umrah packages must also appoint a person-in-charge (PIC) for groups of 40 individuals and above to supervise and manage the group throughout their travels, including at Malaysia’s international entry points.
“For groups below 40, the PIC must handle them at the country’s international entry/exit points. The application procedures for PIC to enter these entry/exit points will be relayed later via the umrah operators’ associations,” said the statement.
Furthermore, pilgrims can also undergo mandatory quarantines at their homes without approval from the Home Quarantine Application system.
At the same time, pilgrims wishing to stay at private quarantine centres can opt to do so but they must bear the cost out of their own pockets.
Currently, MoTaC and the Health Ministry is in the midst of arranging a trainers’ training session for all licensed umrah tour operators regarding the latest SOPs.
On January 8, the Health Ministry froze all umrah trips in light of the new Omicron variant.
Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad revealed that the booster was a requirement from the Saudi Arabian government.
“The booster dose is a requirement by the Saudi government for umrah pilgrims. It has issued a circular, so we have to comply. The door to the Holy Land is open from today.
“So our pilgrims have to follow the conditions set in order to go there,” he told reporters after attending the Usrah Anak Muda programme, organised by the Islamic Development Department and Radio Zayan at the Malaysia Tourism Centre yesterday. – The Vibes, February 10, 2022