Maldives Hajj Corporation Limited (MHCL) has facilitated the travel of 2,000 Maldivians to complete their Umrah pilgrimage during the holy month of Ramadan.
The pilgrims are divided into 14 groups and 800 pilgrims travelled to Saudi Arabia on April 6 while 988 are scheduled to travel within the next four days. Ministry of Islamic Affairs approved 43 companies to facilitate the Umrah pilgrimages this year.
The government of Saudi Arabia has eased its COVID-19 measures and allowed all Muslims to travel for the Umrah pilgrimage this year. As such, many Maldivians have been travelling to Saudi Arabia to complete their Umrah pilgrimage during the month of Ramadan.
Saudi Arabia has facilitated convenient means by which pilgrims can obtain visas online, leading to around four million Muslims receiving their visas in the last five months. Around 10 million Muslims are currently on their Umrah pilgrimage and many more are expected to arrive in Mecca. A large number of Muslims are expected to complete their Umrah pilgrimage this year due to the ease of COVID-19 restrictions.