60,000 vaccinated Saudi residents allowed to perform Hajj

Riyadh, Jun 12 (EFE).- Saudi Arabia will allow 60,000 vaccinated residents inside the kingdom to perform the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, deputy minister of pilgrimage Abdulfattah bin Salman Mashat announced on Saturday.

For the second year in a row, no international travelers will be cleared to take part in the Hajj, but the number of pilgrims has increased from around 1,000 last year.

However, it remains well below the nearly two million people who used to participate before the pandemic.

The health protocols must be “strictly followed” during this year’s rituals scheduled for late July, Mashat said.

Saudi residents who want to perform the Hajj must have received at least one jab of the coronavirus vaccine and observe two-week isolation before the beginning of the rituals.

The Saudi authorities had announced that the Hajj organizers and personnel must receive the vaccine before the pilgrimage.

Hajj, one Islam’s five pillars, is mandatory for every Muslim who is physically and financially ability at least once in their lives. EFE

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