Saudi Arabia has said that due to the corona virus pandemic, more than 60 thousand people will not be allowed to Haj this year and they will all be local. The announcement was made in a statement citing the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on the government-run Saudi Press Agency.
The statement said that this year Hajj will begin in mid-July. People in the age group of 18 to 65 years can participate in it. The ministry said that it is mandatory for Haj pilgrims to get vaccinated. “Saudi Arabia confirms that it has taken this decision after continuing consultations regarding the health and safety of the pilgrims and the security of their countries,” the statement said.
Last year, only about a thousand people already living in Saudi Arabia were selected for Haj. Under normal circumstances, about 20 lakh Muslims perform Hajj every year.
Let us tell you that recently, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said in the midst of the ongoing confusion regarding Haj pilgrimage that India will stand by the decision taken by Saudi Arabia regarding Haj pilgrimage. He had said that we have made all our preparations. We have also taken applications from people for Haj pilgrimage.
The Saudi Arabian government had earlier announced that this year 60 thousand people from around the world will be able to perform Hajj, out of which 15 thousand will be citizens of Saudi Arabia and only 45 thousand people from other countries will be able to go to Saudi Arabia for Haj this time. However, now the Saudi government has made it clear that this time also no person from outside will be able to perform Hajj. this is the second time in a row that Haj pilgrimage has to be banned due to the corona virus pandemic
Generally, lakhs of Muslims from all over the world participate in Hajj every year. The Muslim community believes that Hajj must be performed once in a lifetime.