Hajj 2021: 

Saudi Arabia may allow 5000 pilgrims from India

Saudi Arabia//=Amid second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, Saudi Arabia has announced that 60 thousand people will be allowed to perform hajj this year. Out of them, 15,000 will be domestic pilgrims.

According to a report published in The Hindu, Central Haj Committee officials predict that Saudi Arabia would put a cap of 5000 pilgrims from India. No prediction has been made over the State-wise breakup of the pilgrims.
Apart from reducing the number of Hajj pilgrims, the Kingdom has also made it clear that pilgrims aged below 10 years and above 60 years will not be allowed.

Persons who were hospitalized in the past six months are also not permitted to perform Hajj.

Physical distancing mandatory while performing Hajj
While performing Hajj, the pilgrims will have to adhere to a two-meter physical distancing norm.

As a precautionary measure, all carpets will be removed from Masjid Al Haram.

During pre-COVID times, millions of pilgrims used to perform Hajj every year. In 2019, 2.5 million pilgrims from across the world had performed Hajj.

As Saudi Arabia government used to allow one in one thousand Muslims from India, 1.75 lakh Indian pilgrims performed Hajj in 2019.J&K Hajj Committee to Decide Number of Pilgrims within Week

Saudi to Allow International Pilgrims For First Time Since Covid Lockdown 

Srinagar CNS, May 26: Amid reports about the cap on the number of Hajj pilgrims by Saudi Arabia, the authorities in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir Wednesday said that the decision about the number of pilgrims to be allowed to perform Hajj this year was expected within a week.

While talking to media persons Abdul Salam Mir Executive Officer J&K Hajj Committee said that no decision has been taken as of now about the number of pilgrims to allowed to perform Hajj pilgrimage this year.

He said that a decision in this regard was expected to be taken within a week.

“Around 8000 pilgrims have registered themselves for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage. We have also made vaccination mandatory for all those scheduled to perform Hajj. given the COVID situation,” he said.

Salam said that no one will be allowed to proceed for Hajj pilgrimage without COVID-19 vaccination.

“es for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage have vaccinated themselves or not as the details were not available with them but no one will be allowed without it."

Notably, there are reports that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has decided to cap the number of pilgrims in this year due to COVID-19 situation.

They have also announced that anyone below 20 years of age and above 60 years won't be allowed to perform Hajj this year.