Riyadh: Saudi Arabia Ministry of Hajj on Monday announced that this year’s Hajj will be held with very limited numbers for pilgrims to ensure the safety of pilgrims. Though International Hajj has been cancelled but the pilgrims of various nationalities who are already staying in Saudi will be allowed for performing the pilgrimage.
The decision was taken due to the ongoing threat from the global coronavirus pandemic and to preserve “global public health,” the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said officially.
Around 2.5 million pilgrims performed Hajj last year but the due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19, worldwide pilgrims will not be able to travel to the Kingdom to take part.
Hajj 1441 H will be performed in a safe manner from a public health perspective while observing all preventive measures and the necessary social distancing norms.
Although Saudi Arabia has successfully organised Hajj during previous outbreaks of viral illnesses such as Ebola and MERS. However, the scale of the coronavirus pandemic poses a greater challenge to overcome.