Will The Umrah Pilgrims Leave In January 2022?
JAKARTA - The prospective Indonesian Umrah pilgrims are waiting for confirmation to depart for Saudi Arabia. It is known, originally the first Umrah was to be held on December 23, but as the spread of the COVID-19 variant of the Omicron, the government decided to postpone the implementation until January 2, 2022.
Closing the end of this year, the congregation had hopes of immediately leaving for the Holy Land. The reason is, the Ministry of Health has stated that one of the conditions is that the use of the Tawakkalna and PeduliLindung applications is synchronized. This means that in January the congregation is predicted to be able to depart.
This information was revealed by the Chairman of Commission VIII DPR Yandri Susanto. He appreciated the efforts of Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin who had synchronized the PeduliLindung and Tawakkalna applications. According to him, by paying attention to the prokes, the congregation can go for Umrah in January 2022.
"I see that the public's interest is very high for delays in Umrah going to the Holy Land, so even if there is still a quarantine, maybe the procedures will be tightened. I believe our congregation will obey. If we can start sending Umrah pilgrims this January, it's better," said Yandri , Thursday, December 30.
Furthermore, Yandri said that the Ministry of Religion has also submitted a plan for the departure of Umrah in January 2022. He said, the Ministry of Religion was just waiting for the synchronization of PeduliLindungi and Tawakkalna to be completed. "I had discussions with the Minister and the Director General of Hajj, including the Secretary General, indeed in January, God willing, they will depart for Umrah pilgrims, but on the condition that PeduliLindungi has been implemented with tawakkalna, including the rituals have been adapted to rituals during the pandemic era, and so on," he explained. Yandri also revealed the importance of synchronizing PeduliLindungi with Tawakkalna when visiting Saudi Arabia. A month ago, he said, everyone was obliged to use the Tawakkalna application wherever they were in Arabia. The Minister of Health, if it is really complete, needs to be launched, needs to be published and needs to be conveyed to the Umrah congregation and to the public in general, so that there are no longer any signs of questioning whether it is really affiliated or not," he said. We are worried that when the Umrah pilgrims arrive in Jeddah or in Medina, it will be difficult to carry out their business to and fro, it can hinder the Umrah pilgrims while they are in Saudi," he continued. 19 Omicron variants are missing. Because according to him, as long as the congregation adheres to health protocols and quarantine after Umrah, then there will be no problems.
"If we wait for the virus to disappear, the virus will not disappear, but how do we obey and obey and have the same commitment to comply with the health procedures both domestically and in the Holy Land. If this is done, God willing, there will be no problems," said Yandri.
So, what does the Ministry of Religion say? Will the congregation leave next January?
"Yes, God willing, hopefully there will be no change in Saudi policy," said Director General of Hajj and Umrah (PHU) Hilman Latief to reporters, Thursday, December 30. Regarding the preparations, Hilman said he would first evaluate the congregation who had departed this December.
It is known, there were 25 people who went for Umrah on December 23 last. They are a team from the organizers who will survey all aspects for the implementation of Umrah. "We will first evaluate those who have departed on December 23. 25 people (who departed)," he said. Hilman said the departure policy would also consider government regulations later. Bearing in mind, cases of local transmission of the Omicron variant in Indonesia have now occurred. "Yes, we will see developments," he said.
Previously, Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas said the integration of PeduliLindungi with Tawakkalna was the domain of the Ministry of Health. Yaqut said the synchronization was accelerated so that Umrah pilgrims could leave immediately. "Yes, we continue to process it. That is the domain of the Ministry of Health. We ask the Ministry of Health to speed up because it involves many things, including how our Umrah pilgrims can get there easily," Yaqut said, Wednesday, 29 December. Yaqut said the Ministry of Religion was preparing for the departure of Umrah pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. Then, when do Umrah pilgrims from Indonesia leave for Saudi? "This is prepared. After there is an easing, after an easing, God willing, they will leave," said Yaqut. Tawakkalna is an application belonging to the Government of Saudi Arabia. The synchronization of PeduliLindung with Tawakkalna is intended to make it easier to check health status, vaccinations and other needs for Umrah pilgrims. In addition, the government also reminds prospective Umrah pilgrims to immediately follow the Corona vaccination. There are four types of Corona vaccines used in Saudi Arabia, namely Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. For foreign pilgrims who use the four vaccines, they can perform Umrah. Meanwhile, pilgrims who receive other types of vaccines, such as Sinovac and Sinopharm, must receive at least one booster vaccine from the four brands used in Saudi Arabia.