Sun 26 July 2020:
Muslim pilgrims in Saudi Arabia were placed under quarantine on Saturday as a precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus ahead of next week’s annual Hajj pilgrimage season – curtailed this year for fear of the virus.
Saudi Arabia has drastically limited the number of Muslims attending this year’s Hajj, usually one of the world’s largest gatherings of people, saying that only a few thousand from inside the kingdom could perform it.
More than 2 million Muslims from across the world attended the Hajj last year, according to official estimates.
Saudi Arabia welcomed on Friday the first group of Hajj pilgrims, selected based on specific requirements, amid strict coronavirus preventative measures.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Kingdom has only allowed those living in the country and who meet certain criteria to participate in this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, which is one of the five pillars of Islam and required for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime.
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مشاعر الحجاج فور وصولهم إلى #مطار_الملك_عبدالعزيز الدولي. #واس_عام pic.twitter.com/JRkcZq1aCN— واس العام (@SPAregions) July 25, 2020
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وصول حجاج بيت الله الحرام إلى #مطار_الملك_عبدالعزيز الدولي من خمس مدن مختلفة.#واس_عام pic.twitter.com/dNXwmEqg4y— واس العام (@SPAregions) July 25, 2020
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وصول حجاج بيت الله الحرام إلى #مكة_المكرمة. #واس_عام pic.twitter.com/WvRWllXR63— واس العام (@SPAregions) July 25, 2020
Those who managed to secure a spot were randomly selected through an automated raffle system, with no human involvement, according to the Minister of Hajj and Umrah.
“[Those] who will perform Hajj this year, God selected out of millions to perform the Hajj rituals,” Minister Dr. Muhammad Saleh bin Taher Banten told Al Arabiya. “This selection was not a human selection, but it was a godly selection to choose this person to be one of the limited number of people to perform Hajj.”
Upon their arrival in King Abdulaziz International Airport, the pilgrims went through a screening process before being transferred via buses to a designated hotel where they will quarantine for eight days until the start of the Hajj processions on July 29.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has implemented strict precautionary measures, masks are required at all times and temperature checks were mandatory at the hotel entrance, where the pilgrims lined up while maintaining a safe distance waiting their turns to enter.
Strict precautionary measures at the hotel to maintain the safety of the pilgrims including providing a separate room and hand sanitizers for each person, as well as enforcing social distancing rules.
The hotel, located in Mecca, is near the assembly meeting point that has been determined by the health ministry as the place where pilgrims will gather daily to be transported to the city’s holy sites starting on the first day of Hajj.
Photo courtesy: SPAregions
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