Cairo: Saudi authorities have urged overseas Muslims, leaving the kingdom after performing umrah or lesser pilgrimage, to abide by luggage rules to ease their departure procedures.
The Ministry of Umrah and Pilgrimage exhorted the pilgrims to abide by luggage sizes, weights and specifications on departure and to contact airlines to verify the permitted rules, Okaz newspaper reported.
The ministry has circulated to all umrah companies in the kingdom to follow up on the pilgrims’ departure based on flight schedules and the necessity of making them aware of the permitted luggage sizes.
“This measure facilitates pilgrims to finalise their departure procedures and help cut waiting time at departure terminals,” the ministry said.
Saudi Arabia has seen an influx of pilgrims during the month of Ramadan, a usual peak season for Umrah.
The kingdom has recently eased measures for performing umrah after largely relaxing restrictions against COVID-19.
Authorities have lifted several precautionary measures including cancellations of permits for praying at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and visiting the Prophet’s Mohammed Mosque in Medina.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has also said the immunisation check to enter both holy sites has been scrapped for all worshippers.
