Months after Saudi Arabia took the rare step of suspending the smaller "umrah" pilgrimage as coronavirus morphed into a global pandemic, the Saudi government on Sunday started allowing a maximum of 6,000 pilgrims a day to enter the sprawling Grand Mosque in Mecca, which is being sterilized and cleaned multiple times a day.
Before visitors can enter the mosque to pray or perform the umrah, they have to apply and reserve a specific time and date through an online application. Visitors can also select via the app their means of transportation and meeting points.
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Only Saudi citizens and residents will be permitted to enter the mosque during this first phase of reopening, and each person has up to three hours to complete the pilgrimage.
