MUIS' advisory for umrah pilgrims

1. With effect from 27 February 2020, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has temporarily suspended foreigners from entering the Kingdom for the purpose of the minor pilgrimage or umrah.

2. The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) understands that this is a precautionary measure to prevent the outbreak of COVID-19 in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. MUIS has also been updated that the Kingdom is also temporarily suspending the issuance of tourist visas to travellers from Singapore.

3. MUIS has advised the Association of the Muslim Travel Agents of Singapore (AMTAS) to ensure that all Singaporeans who are making arrangements to perform umrah are adequately briefed on this development. All prospective pilgrims who had already made arrangements to perform umrah during this period are advised to consult their travel agents for the necessary adjustments and remedies where possible. Based on data shared by travel agents under AMTAS, MUIS understands that more than 2,000 people have signed up to perform umrah in March 2020. 

4. MUIS will continue to work with AMTAS and the Saudi Embassy to closely monitor the developments on the impact of COVID-19 on our umrah pilgrims and will provide further advice and assistance to AMTAS, travel agents who provide umrah services as well as our umrah pilgrims over the coming months.   

Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura