Travel advisory issued for Umrah pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia

KARACHI: A fresh travel advisory has been issued for passengers travelling to Saudi Arabia for Umrah after the Kingdom issued new directives regarding COVID restrictions, ARY NEWS reported.

According to details of the fresh travel guidelines, the Saudi authorities have lifted the restriction of a PCR test and approved a list of eight vaccines for those travelling for Umrah.

The vaccines approved by the Kingdom included Pfizer, Sinopharm, Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, Cansino and Sputnik.

The travellers would need to get one dose of Johnson and Johnson, two doses of Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna and two doses and a booster shot of Sinopharm, Sinovac, and Sputnik to travel to the Kingdom.

However, those who received a single dose of Cansino will have to receive two booster shots of it before being allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.

The travel advisory further said that the Umrah pilgrims will have to acquire the vaccination certificate before their travel.

On March 06, Saudi Arabia lifted major COVID restrictions for passengers travelling to the Kingdom, however, medical insurance would still be mandatory for the travellers.

According to a notification issued by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) Saudi Arabia, the passengers travelling to Saudi Arabia will no longer be required to undergo the PCR test and quarantine period.

The restriction of wearing masks at open places is also lifted while the passengers will still be required to have medical insurance.