Sinovac Vaccine Has Been Received By Saudi Arabia, Ministry Of Religion Asked To Monitor So Indonesian Congregants Can Perform Umrah Worship
JAKARTA - The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has included the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines in the list of vaccines received as a condition for entry into the country, Monday, July 12.
The news was conveyed by the Malaysian Minister of Religious Affairs; Dr Zulkifli M Bakri, and broadcast through his personal twitter account, then disseminated by BERNAMA News Agency, Malaysia
In response to this, Deputy Chairperson of the MPR Hidayat Nur Wahid said the news was certainly good news for prospective Umrah pilgrims from Indonesia. He also reminded the Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Coumas to monitor and not be late in getting information about Hajj and Umrah.
According to him, the Ministry of Religion must immediately make the necessary preparations and more effective communication to obtain assurance from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that Umrah pilgrims from Indonesia who have been vaccinated against Sinovac twice can enter Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah after the Hajj 1442 Hijri. .
“The Ministry of Religion must be alert to the latest Saudi decision. Immediately carry out effective communication, and ensure that Umrah pilgrims from Indonesia, most of whom have received the Sinovac vaccine, can perform Umrah in Saudi Arabia," said Hidayat, Wednesday, July 14.
Hidayat also asked the Ministry of Religion to coordinate with the Ministry of Health regarding the vaccination of prospective Umrah and Hajj pilgrims. The reason is that it was stated in the Saudi Gazzette newspaper, Sunday, July 11, that even though the Sinovac vaccine has been recognized by Saudi Arabia, recipients of 2 doses of Sinovac vaccine are still required to receive 1 additional dose of the vaccine that has already been approved by Saudi Arabia. Namely Pfizer, Astrazeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna.
The member of the DPR-RI Commission VIII emphasized that the cancellation of the pilgrimage in 1442 H would not be prolonged to prospective Umrah pilgrims. Because, one of the factors that the Indonesian government has conveyed about the cancellation of the departure of prospective Hajj candidates from Indonesia is the matter of the Sinovac vaccine which is not accepted in Saudi Arabia.
"This factor now should no longer be an excuse, because the Sinovac vaccine has obtained approval for use from the WHO, and is accepted and can be used as a condition for entering Saudi Arabia," Hidayat said.
In addition, he continued, the Ministry of Religion needs to synergize with the Ministry of Health to provide an additional dose of Astrazeneca vaccine and Moderna vaccine for prospective Umrah pilgrims who have received two doses of Sinovac vaccine, if that is what Saudi Arabia requires.
As of July 1, 2021, the Ministry of Health reported having 9,226,800 doses of Astrazeneca vaccine and 3 million doses of Moderna vaccine, an amount that should be sufficient to allocate part of it to prospective Umrah pilgrims.
The Deputy Chair of the PKS Shura Council explained that another factor was Saudi Arabia's attitude towards prospective Umrah and Hajj pilgrims from abroad which continued to change following the situation and conditions related to COVID-19.
"Don't let the cancellation of Hajj departures for 2 consecutive years and the suspension of Umrah departures for the past few months do not make the government more serious about making the necessary efforts so that prospective Umrah pilgrims can go to the holy land," he said