Pilgrims return to Mecca as Saudi eases virus restrictions

CLARIFIES THAT THE UMRAH PILGRIMAGE CAN BE UNDERTAKEN AT ANY TIME OF THE YEAR -- In this photo released by Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Muslims practice social distancing while praying around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque during the first day umrah pilgrimages were allowed to restart, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. The umrah pilgrimage, or smaller pilgrimage, can be undertaken at any time of the year. A very small, limited number of people donning the white terrycloth garment symbolic of the Muslim pilgrimage circled Islam's holiest site in Mecca on Sunday after Saudi Arabia lifted coronavirus restrictions that had been in place for months. (Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah via AP)

CLARIFIES THAT THE UMRAH PILGRIMAGE CAN BE UNDERTAKEN AT ANY TIME OF THE YEAR -- In this photo released by Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Muslims practice social distancing while praying around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque during the first day umrah pilgrimages were allowed to restart, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. The umrah pilgrimage, or smaller pilgrimage, can be undertaken at any time of the year. A very small, limited number of people donning the white terrycloth garment symbolic of the Muslim pilgrimage circled Islam's holiest site in Mecca on Sunday after Saudi Arabia lifted coronavirus restrictions that had been in place for months. (Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah via AP)

CLARIFIES THAT THE UMRAH PILGRIMAGE CAN BE UNDERTAKEN AT ANY TIME OF THE YEAR -- In this photo released by Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Muslims practice social distancing while praying around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque during the first day umrah pilgrimages were allowed to restart, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. The umrah pilgrimage, or smaller pilgrimage, can be undertaken at any time of the year. A very small, limited number of people donning the white terrycloth garment symbolic of the Muslim pilgrimage circled Islam's holiest site in Mecca on Sunday after Saudi Arabia lifted coronavirus restrictions that had been in place for months. (Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah via AP)

CLARIFIES THAT THE UMRAH PILGRIMAGE CAN BE UNDERTAKEN AT ANY TIME OF THE YEAR -- In this photo released by Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Muslims practice social distancing while praying around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque during the first day umrah pilgrimages were allowed to restart, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. The umrah pilgrimage, or smaller pilgrimage, can be undertaken at any time of the year. A very small, limited number of people donning the white terrycloth garment symbolic of the Muslim pilgrimage circled Islam's holiest site in Mecca on Sunday after Saudi Arabia lifted coronavirus restrictions that had been in place for months. (Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah via AP)

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2016 file photo, Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia during the minor pilgrimage, known as Umrah that can be undertaken at any time of the year. A very small, limited number of people practiced social distancing as they circled the Kaaba in Mecca on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020 after Saudi Arabia lifted coronavirus restrictions that had been in place for months allowing the limited restart of Umrah pilgrimages. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)