On Saturday, Saudi Arabia said it would allow 1 million Muslims from home and outside country to share in This year’s pilgrimage, a sharp rise after two years of epidemic restrictions of drastically reduceddown Pilgrimage.
The Ministry of Hajj “allowed one million pilgrims from abroad and inside.” perform This pilgrimage year,” He Said in Declaration.
One of The Five Pillars of Islam, all Muslims must perform Hajj with method at least once in their lives. user one of The world’s largest religious gatherings in the city with about 2.5 million people took bit in 2019.
But after the start of coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the Saudi authorities allowed only 1,000 pilgrims to participate.
the following yearThey raised the level total The 60,000 citizens and residents who were fully vaccinated were selected through a lottery.
This year the pilgrimage that will take place in July will be restricted to vaccinated pilgrims under the age of 65 on Saturdays announcement She said.
coming from outside It will be Saudi Arabia required To send a negative PCR for COVID-19 result from test Taken within 72 hours of Travel.
The government He wants to promote pilgrims safety “making sure that maximum number of Muslims all over the world can perform And a statement said today, Saturday, that “the pilgrimage.”
easing restrictions
Hajj consists of of a series of Completed religious rites over five days in The holiest city of Islam, Mecca and its environs of Western Saudi Arabia.
Hosting Hajj is an order of prestige for Saudi rulers, as guardianship of Islam’s holiest sites are the most powerful source of their political legitimacy.
Before the pandemic, the Muslim pilgrimage was key income earners for Kingdom, bring in About $12 billion annually.
limitations in Smartest Years 2020 and 2021 Muslim Resentment Abroad who blocked.
The kingdom of nearly 34 million people registered so far more More than 751,000 cases of coronavirus, including 9,055 deaths, according to data from the Ministry of Health.
In early March it announced lift of Most restrictions include COVID-19 social get away in public Spaces and Quarantine for vaccinated immigrants, moves which was expected to facilitate arrival of Muslim pilgrims.
The decision Comment includessocial distancing measures in All open and closed places “including mosques, while masks are now only required in close distances.
