"Umrah pilgrims must observe the health protocols because the pandemic is not over yet," the ministry's director general for Hajj and Umrah, Hilman Latief, said in a written statement received in Jakarta on Monday.
Indonesia resumed Umrah flights to Saudi Arabia on Saturday (January 8, 2022) after scrapping the initial plan to reopen flight operations in December 2021 due to the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Intensive communication between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia played a role in the Saudi government's decision to allow the resumption of Umrah flights from Indonesia, Latief said and urged Umrah pilgrims to maintain the Saudi government's trust by observing the health protocols during their pilgrimage.
"They must abide by the local health protocols during their stay there," Latief reiterated.
Related news: Disciplined quarantine prevents Omicron spreading among Umrah pilgrims
The director general also asked the operators of Umrah pilgrimages to comply with the one-gate policy to streamline administrative formalities and minimize the potential for COVID-19 transmission.
Under the one-gate policy, Umrah departures and arrivals nationwide have been centralized at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, with pilgrims required to undergo health checks, administrative formalities, and centralized quarantine in Jakarta, he said.
Meanwhile, chairperson of the Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators (Himpuh), Budi Darmawan, informed that from Jakarta, Indonesian Umrah pilgrims would board a direct flight to Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport, Medina, Saudi Arabia.
"No other passengers other than Umrah pilgrims will board the flight," Darmawan added.
Upon arrival in Medina, Umrah pilgrims will undergo a five-day quarantine and will be allowed to leave for Mecca only if their COVID-19 tests show a negative result, the chairperson said.
Before their return flight to Indonesia, pilgrims will undergo another COVID-19 PCR test, and they will be quarantined at Hajj Dormitory in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta, upon their arrival, he added.
Related news: Saudi Arabia lifts entry ban from Indonesia starting on December 1
Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto
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