Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday that one million Muslims would be allowed to perform Hajj this year, whether in Saudi or from around the world. “One million pilgrims, whether foreign or domestic, have been authorized to perform Haj this year,” the Haj ministry said in a statement.
The statement continued, the government wants to ensure the safety of the pilgrims “while ensuring that as many Muslims around the world as possible can perform the Hajj”. After the start of the pandemic in 2020, Saudi authorities only allowed 1,000 pilgrims to participate. The following year, they allowed 60,000 fully vaccinated residents to be selected by lottery.
According to the announcement made on Saturday, this year’s Hajj will be limited to vaccinated pilgrims below 65 years of age. Those arriving from outside Saudi Arabia must present a negative PCR test less than 72 hours old.
Join LesEco.ma and receive our newsletter