Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Saudi Arabia announced plans allow foreigners between the ages of 18 and 50 to make a small pilgrimage from November 2020. In particular, the kingdom’s authorities gave permission to come to die for citizens of countries in which the epidemiological situation is considered stable.

The review of information and analytical publications is allowed to highlight the following main points.

First, countries have the right to send their citizens to die if Riyadh is included in the “green zone”. These include 108 countries, in which the epidemiological situation is considered stable. In particular, countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China are included in the "green zone". At the same time, Kyrgyzstan, along with Iran, Italy and Egypt, were not included in the list of permitted states.

Secondly, there are strict sanitary rules. Thus, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of the KSA, together with the Ministry of Health, has developed special rules for foreign pilgrims.

In particular, believers are required to have a COVID-19 certificate with them. Moreover, it must be received a maximum of three days before departure. Upon arrival, pilgrims are required to go through three days of isolation. Hajj operators must inform clients about all the sanitary rules they must follow while in the KSA, and also book a place for them in the Al-Haram mosque. In addition, medical teams will be located in certain areas, as well as rooms for isolation and medical examination in case of suspected coronavirus.

Third, the restoration of the pilgrimage became a necessary measure in the context of the economic crisis. According to Arabnews, the resumption of pilgrimage tourism will help more than 500 companies in the Kingdom that have been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. It is expected that about 10 thousand pilgrims will visit KSA every week. In addition, the resumption of the small hajj will bring some revenue to Saudi airlines. For example, the airline "Saudia" has already announced the resumption of work in 33 directions.

In general, the royal power is gradually resuming pilgrimage tourism. These steps are mainly carried out in connection with the need to support local companies specializing in the field of religious tourism.