Millions of Muslims take part in Hajj pilgrimage
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Hajj has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic for the past two years, leaving millions of Muslims across the globe unable to embark on the holy pilgrimage. This year, those who live outside of Saudi Arabia will be welcomed once again to make the sacred journey, but there will be strict rules in place to keep pilgrims safe. Here’s everything you need to know about the Hajj 2022 rule changes.
The annual Hajj pilgrimage was suspended in 2020 and 2021, when the height of the COVID-19 pandemic left international pilgrims unable to travel.
While Muslims living in Saudi Arabia at the time were able to complete the journey, the sacred event was reduced to a smaller capacity of pilgrims.
In 2020, the Saudi Arabia Authority limited Hajj to just 1,000 Saudi Arabian residents.
While this increased in 2021, the religious event was still restricted to just 10,000 Saudi Arabian residents and selected countries.
How will Hajj be different this year?
According to the Managing Director of the Comerel Travels and Tours Limited, Ustaz Abubakr Siddeeq Muhammad, the Saudi Arabian Government has taken “more interest” in Hajj operations this year.
He explained apart from the Hajj rites, “all other activities and rules have changed”.
The changes have been made to “provide better services” for the international pilgrims who will embark on the journey to Kaaba between July 7 and July 12.
So what are the key rule changes that will be implemented?
Age limits and Covid passports
Hajj will be available for those under 65-years-old, provided they obtain the basic doses of approved vaccines.
Pilgrims must also present a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to their arrival to the Kingdom.
Pilgrims seeking to perform the Hajj must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with the complete doses of the following vaccines to be able to enter the Kingdom:
- Pfizer/BioNTech
- Oxford/AstraZeneca
- Janssen
- Moderna
- Sinopharm
- Sinovac
- Covaxin
- Sputnik V
- Nuvaxovid
- Covovax
No quarantine will be necessary for foreign pilgrims fully vaccinated with vaccines approved in Saudi Arabia, though travellers arriving on visit visas must have medical insurance to cover any COVID-19 related treatment costs during their stay.
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Online permits
Worshippers are no longer required to obtain a permit and appointment to pray at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, or the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
However, pilgrims should still obtain a Hajj permit through the online app Absher.
To regulate the Hajj pilgrimage, the KSA authorities have stated that only those with Hajj and Umrah permits are allowed to enter Mecca.
This means that all visitors, including expatriate residents, and Saudi nationals without a permit, will not be granted entry to the city.
The restriction will remain in effect until the end of this year’s Hajj season, on July 12.
Managing Director of the Comerel Travels and Tours Limited, Ustaz Abubakr Siddeeq Muhammad said: “There seems to be more of centralized Hajj operations, this year, and most of those that would provide services for the pilgrims are new.
“So, everyone should be conscious of the hajj rules to ensure the success of the Hajj exercise and acceptable acts of worship.”
He explained that in addition to several Covid-related rules, there will also be changes to the tents made available to pilgrims.
While there used to be ‘tent A’ and others, only ‘tent A’ and ‘tent D’ will be available this year.
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