In a new development on the Muslim pilgrimage front, Saudi Arabia announced that it will allow Haj this year too. Though further details and restrictions haven’t been publicized yet, sources close to the matter say that foreigners might not be permitted to enter the Kingdom again this year due to the growing covid cases in the world with the emergence of new mutant strains of the virus.
The Gulf nation’s decision is due to the “country’s keenness to enable the guests and visitors of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque to perform the rituals of Hajj and Umrah,” according to the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
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The country will ensure all measures and protocols are being followed for safeguarding the health and well-being of the worshippers, it said while adding that details pertaining to the organization of the pilgrimage will be announced later.
However, if things go as last year, international travelers might again be barred from performing Hajj that takes place once a year. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Kingdom had restricted the number of pilgrims from around a million to 1,000. These were the Saudi nationals, and people living in the country who are vaccinated or recovered from covid-19 atleast 6 months before attending.
Sources added that this is a possibility but no final decision has yet been taken.
As for Umrah that takes place year-round, Saudi Arabia would host around 7 million worshippers every year. The country would generate close to $12 billion a year from Hajj and Umrah alone.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hoped to increase the number of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims to 5 million and 15 million respectively by 2020 as part of his economic reforms to earn 50 billion riyals (around $13.32 billion) from Hajj alone by 2030. He plans to double the number of expected Umrah pilgrims to 30 million by 2030. While the first part of the plan could not get solidified, it is yet to be seen if the 2030 goal is met with the covid emerging as a hurdle.
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This year, not just the physical presence and health status of the participants but their age too will be taken into consideration with certain restrictions on this front, a source said.
Saudi Arabia is reviewing its earlier plan of issuing permits to some vaccinated pilgrims of foreign countries due to the discrepancies, lack of evidence and confusion over the efficiency and detection of new strains.
When approached for a comment, the government media office did not respond.
Since the pandemic began, the Gulf country reported 426,384 covid cases. There were 7,072 deaths with 409,740 recoveries reported.