Saudi Arabia bans foreign pilgrims in Hajje COVID | Coronavirus pandemic News

Saudi Arabia says this pilgrimage will only be for 60,000 citizens and residents.

Foreign pilgrims will not be able to perform Hajji again this year after Saudi Arabia restricted the annual pilgrimage to citizens and residents, and set a maximum of 60,000 pilgrims in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Those who want to do Hajj should have no chronic illness and be vaccinated,” and the ministry said in a statement on Saturday that they are between 18 and 65 years old.

“Given the worldwide witness to the coronavirus pandemic … and the emergence of new variants, major authorities have continued to monitor the state of global health,” the document added.

Last year, the kingdom reduced the number of pilgrims About 1,000 Saudi citizens and residents are helping to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, after Muslims banned the rite from abroad for the first time in modern times.

Two-thirds were residents of 160 different nationalities who would normally be represented in Hajj. One-third were Saudi security personnel and medical personnel. This year the pilgrimage is expected to begin in mid-July.

Hajj, a duty once in a lifetime the Saudi government is the main source of money for anyone who can afford it.

Before pandemics established a global social distance, some 2.5 million pilgrims According to official data, the Hajj was visited by the holy sites of Islam in Mecca and Medina for a whole week and was a small Umrah pilgrimage throughout the year.

A congregation of millions of pilgrims around the world may be the main reason for the transmission of coronavirus.

Saudi Arabia has so far recorded more than 463,000 coronavirus infections, including 7,536 deaths.

The Ministry of Health said it has delivered more than 15 billion vaccine doses in a country with a population of about 34 million.

Relaxed by the coronavirus curbs last October, Saudi Arabia opened the Grand Mosque for prayer for the first time in seven months and has partially begun its pilgrimage to Umrah.

The limit for Umrah pilgrims is 20,000 a day, and a total of 60,000 worshipers are allowed to pray in the mosque every day.

Umra attracts millions of Muslims from all over the world every year. Authorities have said Umrah will be allowed to return to full capacity after the pandemic threat subsides.