Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Umrah pilgrimage will begin on 22 January. It was stated in the statement of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan.

The first flight to Saudi Arabia is scheduled for 22 January. The next flights are scheduled to take place on 25 and 28 January. After that, the number of flights will be increased.

The department noted that pilgrims who paid before the start of the pandemic, until March 2020, will go first to Umrah.

At the same time, according to the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, they need to pay 4.77 million soums. These costs are associated with a 50% reduction in the number of places in hotels and buses to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the distribution of packaged food and the payment of 15% VAT in Saudi Arabia.

Uzbekistanis will be accommodated in the most modern hotels in Mecca and Medina, the Office said.

Pilgrims must have a certificate of vaccination against coronavirus approved in the kingdom drugs - Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson or AstraZeneca.

At the same time, citizens who have completed a full course of immunization with the Uzbek-Chinese or Russian vaccine should receive a booster dose of one of the vaccines listed above.

Pilgrims must have a smartphone on which they will need to install the applications "توكلنا" (Tawakkalna) and "اعتمرنا" (Eatmarna). Upon arrival in Saudi Arabia at the airport or at the hotel in Medina, you will need to buy a SIM card from the country's mobile operator and an internet package.

When entering Saudi Arabia, in addition to the vaccination certificate, you must have a certificate with a negative PCR test made no later than 48 hours before entry.

Pilgrims must have 30 medical masks with them (they need to be changed every 4 hours). There is a US$300 fine for violating the mask-wearing rule. Before returning to their homeland, pilgrims must pass a PCR test at their own expense in a hotel in Mecca.