Desk Report
Publish: 09 Apr 2022, 11:04 am
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Hajj has been performed on a limited scale for the last two years || File Photo
Saudi Arabia said Saturday it
will permit one million Muslims from inside and outside the country to
participate in this year's hajj, a sharp uptick after pandemic restrictions
forced two years of drastically pared-down pilgrimages.
The hajj ministry "has
authorized one million pilgrims, both foreign and domestic, to perform the hajj
this year," it said in a statement.
One of the five pillars of Islam,
the hajj must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in
their lives. Usually, one of the world's largest religious gatherings, about 2.5
million people took part in 2019.
But after the onset of the
coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Saudi authorities allowed only 1,000 pilgrims to
participate.
The following year, they upped
the total to 60,000 fully vaccinated citizens and residents have chosen through a
lottery.
This year's hajj, which will take
place in July, will be limited to vaccinated pilgrims under age 65, Saturday's
announcement said.
Those coming from outside Saudi
Arabia will be required to submit a negative Covid-19 PCR result from a test
taken within 72 hours of travel.
The government wants to promote
pilgrims' safety "while ensuring that the maximum number of Muslims
worldwide can perform the hajj", Saturday's statement said.
- Easing restrictions -
The hajj consists of a series of
religious rites that are completed over five days in Islam's holiest city,
Makkah, and surrounding areas of western Saudi Arabia.
Hosting the hajj is a matter of
prestige for Saudi rulers, as the custodianship of Islam's holiest sites is the
most powerful source of their political legitimacy.
Before the pandemic, Muslim
pilgrimages were key revenue earners for the kingdom, bringing in some $12
billion annually.
The restrictions in 2020 and 2021
stoked resentment among Muslims abroad who were barred.
The kingdom of approximately 34
million people has so far recorded more than 751,000 coronavirus cases,
including 9,055 deaths, according to health ministry data.
In early March it announced the
lifting of most Covid restrictions including social distancing in public spaces
and quarantine for vaccinated arrivals, moves that were expected to facilitate the
arrival of Muslim pilgrims.
The decision included suspending
"social distancing measures in all open and closed places" including
mosques, while masks are now only required in closed spaces.
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