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Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - Saudi Arabia has announced that this year's Hajj pilgrims will be made up for 70 per cent residents and 30 per cent citizens, with health workers being given priority, as international attendance to the pilgrimage has been banned due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said that ensuring health standards would be the main driver behind the selection process, with citizen pilgrims being strictly chosen from healthcare workers and security personnel who have already fully recovered from Covid-19.
They will be selected from a recovery database and as a "token of appreciation for their role in providing care for our society as it fought the pandemic", Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Ministry said it will also prioritise medically-fit, non-Saudi Arabian residents of the country between the ages of 20 and 50, who will have to test negative for the virus before being allowed to take part. They will also be asked to quarantine for an unspecified period of time before and after performing Hajj.
Those eligible, can register at https://www.haj.gov.sa between July 6 and July 10.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia banned gatherings and meetings during the Hajj this year to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and the Kingdom decided in June to limit the number of domestic pilgrims attending to about 1,000. It is the first time in the modern era that Muslims abroad have been banned from the pilgrimage.
Touching the Kaaba will also be prohibited this year, and pilgrims will have to keep a minimum distance of one and a half metres from one another during the rituals, including mass prayers and while performing tawaf (walk around the Kaaba seven times).
The Ministry said special plans, including healthcare services and segmentation plans, have been put in place this year.
A few worshippers performing the fajr prayer at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Saudi Arabia has announced it will hold a "very limited" Hajj this year. AFP
Saudi Arabia's authorities said only a limited number of people, who are already in Saudi Arabia, will be able to perform the Hajj amid a spike of cases and deaths in the kingdom. AFP
Arab countries have expressed their support for Saudi Arabia's decision to ban pilgrims from abroad attending the Hajj pilgrimage this year to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. AFP
Arafat mountain in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah. Egypt, home of Al Azhar, one of the Muslim world’s main centres of learning, quickly came out in support of the decision. AFP
Egyptan Religious Affairs Minister Mukhtar Jumah described the downsizing as “practical” and “conforming with jurisprudence regarding the pandemic”. AFP
Hundreds of thousands usually perform Hajj every year. AFP
Bahraini Justice and Islamic Affairs Minister Khaled Bin Khalifa said the ban “conforms with the core values of Islam” and that Bahrain appreciates what he described as Saudi Arabia’s quest to save lives. AFP
The Emirates Hajj Affairs Office said Saudi Arabia's move “preserves the health of the people and their lives, which is one of the main purposes of our honoured religion”. AFP
Part of the Grand Mosque complex in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah. AFP
Updated: July 7, 2020 09:39 AM
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