Saudi Arabia: Only 1,000 pilgrims within kingdom allowed to perform Hajj

On July 20, Saudi Arabia announced that it will allow only 1,000 pilgrims from different nationalities residing in the Kingdom to perform Hajj and would bar the overseas travellers from being issued a Hajj permit amid the COVID-19 crisis, as per a news agency report. Last year, over 2.5 million people attended the pilgrimage. The Hajj authorities, however, haven’t issued the details of the selection process yet.  

Pilgrims, who will be allowed to perform the Hajj this year will be below 65 years of age with no co-morbidity, Health Minister, Tawfiq al-Rabiah, reportedly said. Further, the expatriate residents will be asked to adhere to the health safety measures issued by the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia, he added. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah will shortlist the names of those approved for Hajj, as per reports. On arrival to the holy city of Mecca, pilgrims will be tested for COVID-19 and are required to quarantine afterwards. Additionally, the authorities banned any kind of touching or kissing of the Kaaba stone and made face masks mandatory while performing all rituals.  

Moreover, according to the new guidelines, pilgrims will be allowed to drink holy water from the Zamzam well in Mecca which is packaged in plastic bottles. Further, the pebbles for casting away evil that's picked up along hajj routes have to be mandatorily sterilized and bagged ahead of time, as per reports. Pilgrims will also have to bring their own prayer rugs and will not be allowed to gather. 

The number of pilgrims will be around 1,000, maybe less, maybe a little more— Hajj Minister Mohammad Benten was quoted as saying by ANI. The number will not be in tens or hundreds of thousands this year, he added.

Read: Saudi Arabia Makes Masks Compulsory As It Announces Health Measures For Hajj

Read: WHO Backs Saudi Decision On Hajj

More than 161,000 cases

According to a statement by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), the social distancing of 1 and a half meters is required during the Kaaba circling ritual as well as prayers. Access to holy sites at Mina, Muzdalifah, and Mount Arafat was only given to those with hajj permits from July 19 till August 2.  This would be the first time that Saudi Arabia has barred foreigners to a limited capacity since the founding of the Kingdom in 1932. As of July 20, Saudi Arabia recorded more than 161,000 cases, and as many as 1,300 deaths related to COVID-19 were registered, the highest in the Gulf region.  

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(Image Credit: AP)