Saudi Arabia Bans Children Under 12 From Performing Umrah and Praying At The Holy Kaaba

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia has imposed a ban on children aged less than 12 years from entering the premises of Masjid al-Haram for performing Umrah and offering prayers.

In an official statement, the Hajj and Umrah Ministry said that children less than 12 years of age do not meet the requirements laid down for Umrah and prayers at Masjid al-Haram under the Tawakkalna application.

The decision has been taken to protect the children from Coronavirus because none of the COVID-19 vaccines recognized in Saudi Arabia—that are Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, J&J, Sinopharm, and Sinovac—have been approved for use among children aged under 12 years.

Although Pfizer and Moderna have been tested among children aged 6-11 years and both have shown strong immune responses, no renowned public health agency has granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to any of these two vaccines in the said age group.

Moderna’s vaccine is only approved for use among individuals aged above 18 while Pfizer’s vaccine can be administered to individuals aged 12 years or above.

Last month, Saudi Arabia took a number of decisions including allowing vaccinated pilgrims to perform Umrah and resuming prayers at both Holy Mosques without social distancing measures.

First, it allowed pilgrims fully vaccinated against Coronavirus to apply for the permit for performing Umrah and offering prayers at Masjid al-Haram. It announced the same for applying for a permit to visit the Roza-e-Rasool (PBUH), the grave of the Prophet (PBUH), and pray at Masjid an-Nabawi.

Then, it allowed the prayers at both Masjid al-Haram and Masjid an-Nabawi to resume at full capacity without social distancing measures for the first time in nearly two years.

Later, it abolished both the requirements of waiting for a fortnight before applying for Umrah and performing Umrah only once during a fortnight.

These measures have enabled fully vaccinated pilgrims from the countries which do not face travel restrictions from Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah and visit both Holy Mosques easily.