Saudi Arabia bans pilgrimage this year for foreign pilgrims

The minister of Haxhi and Umrah of the kingdom said that only a very limited “number of Muslims from various nationalities, who already reside in Saudi Arabia, will be able to perform the pilgrimage, which this year falls late in July.

This decision is made to ensure that the pilgrimage is carried out safely from the perspective of public health while respecting all the preventive measures and the necessary social distance protocols to protect people from the risks related to this pandemic”, the ministry said.

Hagi is one of the five pillars of Islam, and every capable Muslim who has financial opportunities is obliged to perform it once in his life.

Each year some 2.5 million Muslims from over 180 countries carry out this pilgrimage, which includes a series of prayers and rituals, during five to six days in the holy city of Mecca.

Saudi Arabia is trying to keep the situation under control with the pandemic. In this country, COVID-19, which causes the new choreography, 161,000 cases have been recorded, while 1,300 people have died. /Rel