The ministry said Umrah visas will be issued to Egyptian and Tunisian pilgrims once government organs in both countries return to normal duties.
The ministry has also informed all Umrah companies concerned that contracts to accommodate and transport pilgrims from Egypt and Tunisia will also be temporarily withheld until the situation becomes clear.
Saad Al-Qurashi, chairman of the National Haj and Umrah Committee (NHUC) at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said matters might get worse for Umrah companies because of ongoing developments in Libya and the Yemen.
“There are indications that pilgrims from these two countries will not be able to come for Umrah this season,” he said, adding that other countries such as Iran, Sudan, Algeria and Jordan might join the list.
Al-Qurashi said contracts were currently being signed with the Ministry of Haj to increase quotas for other countries, particularly Turkey and Syria, to compensate the drop in pilgrims from countries that are presently seeing political unrest.
The NHUC has also asked 51 Umrah companies not to make hotel reservations in Makkah and Madinah because of the current political unrest in several Arab countries.
