Fri 09 July 2021:
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has confirmed it is fully prepared for this year’s Hajj season and also announced the selection of 60,000 eligible candidates for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Thursday.
The ministry said the successful multinational candidates represent 150 countries from inside the Kingdom as it announced the end of the registration period via the online portal.
In June, Saudi Arabia announced it will limit this year’s Hajj pilgrimage to 60,000 residents and nationals living in the Kingdom due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this week, Dr. Abdulfattah Mashat, deputy minister of Hajj and Umrah said, pilgrims performing Hajj this season have never been on the pilgrimage before. “In June, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah began to receive applications. We received, in ten days, over 500,000 applications, while the target number was 60,000.
“The applications were sorted according to a specific mechanism such as the readiness of the pilgrim physically, taking into account if they had already performed Hajj. The data was also sorted out by age groups, with priority initially given to those over 50 years of age from all nationalities residing in the Kingdom.”
Ahmed Saleh Halabi, a journalist and writer specializing in Hajj and Umrah services, said: Saudi Arabia’s decision to limit Hajj to citizens and residents within the Kingdom confirms the government’s keenness to maintain the safety, health and security of pilgrims, in line with Islam, that calls on preserving human life, he said.
The Ministry has also called on all pilgrims who have been granted Hajj permits this year to take the second vaccine dose, as they will be receiving it without booking an appointment in advance.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah clarified that pilgrims will be received on the 7th and 8th of Dhul-Hijjah at four reception centers, after which they will be transported by buses to the Holy Mosque in Mecca to perform Arrival Tawaf (circumambulation) before heading to the Holy Sites.
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