High Saudi death toll overshadows Indonesia's plans to allow ‘umrah’

Rows of worshipers pray at the Masjidil Haram grand mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca, on Dec. 30, 2021, following the imposition of new restrictions due to a surge in Covid-19 cases. -AFP

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): More than a third of all Indonesian deaths overseas that are associated with Covid-19 have occurred in Saudi Arabia, the Foreign Ministry has revealed, as authorities grapple with the dilemma of protecting undocumented workers and allowing its people to resume religious pilgrimages there.

Just two months shy of entering its third year in March, the pandemic has left a trail of death, crippled health systems and a battered global economy.