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Saudi Arabia: Kingdom to permit a million pilgrims at Hajj
MEE and companies
Sat, 04/09/2022 – 09:39
A million pilgrims shall be allowed to attend the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca this yr, Saudi Arabia introduced in an announcement on Saturday.
The assertion comes after two years of cancellations and restrictions of the annual Islamic pilgrimage, which is a lifeline for the dominion’s financial system, because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The hajj ministry “has authorised a million pilgrims, each overseas and home, to carry out the hajj this yr,” it stated in an announcement.
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In response to the Saudi Press Company, pilgrims have to be below 65 years outdated and shall be required to offer a unfavorable PCR check earlier than departing for Saudi Arabia.
The ministry stated it was “aiming to safeguard the milestones it achieved within the healthcare sector because it grappled with the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Covid-19 restrictions
Normally one of many world’s largest spiritual gatherings, about 2.5 million folks took half within the Hajj in 2019. However after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Saudi authorities allowed just one,000 pilgrims to take part.
The next yr, they raised the entire to 60,000 absolutely vaccinated residents chosen by way of a lottery.
The restrictions have stoked resentment amongst Muslims overseas who have been barred. Saturday’s announcement stated this yr’s hajj shall be restricted to vaccinated pilgrims below the age of 65.
These coming from exterior Saudi Arabia shall be required to submit a unfavorable Covid-19 PCR outcome from a check taken inside 72 hours of journey.
The federal government needs to make sure pilgrims’ security “whereas making certain that the utmost variety of Muslims worldwide can carry out the hajj,” Saturday’s assertion stated.
The hajj consists of a sequence of spiritual rites which can be accomplished over 5 days in Islam’s holiest metropolis, Mecca, and surrounding areas of western Saudi Arabia.
Internet hosting the hajj is a matter of status for Saudi rulers, because the custodianship of Islam’s holiest websites is essentially the most highly effective supply of their political legitimacy.
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