There are 252 Umrah pilgrims from Indonesia currently stuck in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, December 24, after the Saudi government closed its borders over the new Covid-19 strain discovered in a number of European countries. 

“252 are [stuck there]. The negotiation process is ongoing by the Indonesian embassy in Riyadh and Jeddah to find them a route back home,” said Muhammad Sahrul Murajjab, Indonesian embassy official in Riyadh on late Wednesday evening. 

He said the Saudi Arabia government had announced the one-week closure of international flight routes and land borders since December 21. However, this can be extended but may possibly grant an exception for three conditions. 

The first is to foreign air carriers that had already landed in Saudi Arabia before the announcement was made, the second is for cargo planes transporting goods and food supply, and the third is for specific situations or evacuation purposes.

For the latter exception, the Indonesian government representatives in Riyadh and Jeddah are attempting to obtain a flight slot to evacuate the Indonesian umrah pilgrims that are in Saudi Arabia as the announcement of the border closure was made.

SOURCE TEMPO