Saudi Arabia will let as much as one million individuals be part of the hajj pilgrimage this 12 months, tremendously increasing the important thing occasion to individuals from exterior the dominion after two years of tight COVID-19 restrictions, state media mentioned on Saturday.
Pilgrims to Mecca this 12 months have to be below age 65 and totally vaccinated in opposition to the coronavirus, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah mentioned in a press release carried by the SPA information company.
Individuals from overseas shall be allowed this 12 months however should current a latest unfavourable PCR check, and well being precautions shall be noticed, it mentioned.
Final 12 months, the dominion restricted the annual hajj, considered one of Islam’s 5 fundamental pillars, to 60,000 home individuals, in comparison with the prepandemic 2.5 million.
Visits to the holiest websites of Islam in Mecca and Medina for the week-long hajj, and the lesser, year-round umrah pilgrimage, beforehand earned the dominion about $12 billion US a 12 months, in response to official knowledge.