Saudi Arabia announced starting a new e-system to facilitate umrah pilgrims, as their trips have been canceled, to get reimbursements on their visa fees and other associated charges for the trip.
The move came following the Kingdom’s decision to bar citizens from coronavirus affected countries to visit the holiest Muslim sites, said the official statement by the Saudi ministry of hajj and Umrah.
It was announced that the system would allow pilgrimage agents in different countries to put forward applications on the electronic system to get back the fees paid by the travelers. The kingdom has declared that travelers contact local umrah agents to claim refunds.
The Saudi officials barred pilgrims from affected countries to enter the region to “prevent Coronavirus’ arrival into the country”. There is no announcement when the services will be resumed, as the ban is temporary.
No case of coronavirus is reported in Saudi Arabia until now, though the virus has reached to neighboring regions.
Saudi Arabia hosts two holiest Muslim sites in Mecca and Medina and receives thousands of Muslim visitors all over the year, and tourism is at peak during the hajj pilgrimage. The country issued new visas for visitors in 49 countries.
So far, more than 77,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in china with 2,592 deaths. The fear of coronavirus is escalating all over the world as the virus has reached Europe, Africa, and Asia and so on.–Worldwide News