Saudi Arabia still assessing COVID situation, precautionary measures for hajj 2021

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said operational plans for this year's hajj will be announced later, state news agency SPA reported on Sunday (May 9).

The ministry said health authorities continue to assess conditions and precautionary measures, considering the prevailing pandemic situation.

Saudi authorities last year only allowed around 1,000 pilgrims who were already resident in the country to perform the hajj. Pre-pandemic, almost 2.5 million pilgrims performed the hajj in 2019. 

This year, COVID cases from large source countries are surging again, including India whose pilgrims typically make up the second largest group behind Indonesia, with a pre-pandemic quota of around 200,000.

The ministry did not announce its decision about hajj 2020 until June 22 last year, around 5 weeks before the start of the pilgrimage. 

Hajj 2021 will start around July 17 and culminate around July 22. 

© SalaamGateway.com 2021 All Rights Reserved