Saudi Arabia has said it will allow one million people – from both inside and outside the kingdom – to perform the Hajj this year with COVID restrictions being eased.
Over the last two years only a few thousand local pilgrims have been able to perform the Hajj.
In increasing the numbers, the kingdom’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam’s holiest site, would only be allowed for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are under the age of 65.
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“It is of supreme importance to the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to preserve the safety and security of Hajj pilgrims as well as visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque while ensuring that the maximum number of Muslims worldwide can perform Hajj and visit the Prophet’s Mosque in a safe and spiritual atmosphere,” the ministry said in a statement early on Saturday.
Pilgrims travelling from abroad will also need to have a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before their departure for Saudi Arabia, the statement said, while health precautions will be in place in Mecca to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Just a few thousand people were allowed to perform the pilgrimage in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and only 1,000 the year before that.
Before the virus emerged, around 2.5 million people used to travel every year to Saudi Arabia for Hajj.
Hajj 2022 is expected to take place in July this year.
