Saudi Arabia prepares for scaled-back Hajj amid stringent Covid-19 health precautions

David Child27 July 2020

Muslim pilgrims have started arriving in Mecca for a drastically scaled-down Hajj as Saudi Arabia's authorities balance organising one of Islam’s key pillars with the safety of visitors in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Hajj, which begins on Wednesday, normally draws around 2.5 million people for five intense days of worship in one of the world’s largest gatherings of people from around the world.

But this year, Saudi Arabia’s Hajj Ministry has said it will only allow about 1,000 people already residing in the kingdom to perform the pilgrimage. Some media reports have suggested that as many as 10,000 people could take part, however.

Two-thirds of those pilgrims will be from among Saudi Arabia's foreign residents and one-third will be Saudi citizens. All will be required to be between the ages of 20 and 50, and in good health.

It marks the first time in Saudi history that no pilgrims from abroad have been permitted to take part in the Hajj.

The curbing of visitor numbers comes as Saudi Arabia continues to battle one of the Middle East's largest outbreaks of coronavirus, with more than 266,000 reported infections. More than 2,700 Covid-19 deaths have been recorded in the kingdom.

Fatin Daud, a 25-year-old Malaysian studying Arabic in Saudi Arabia, was among the select few whose application to take part in the pilgrimage was approved.

After her selection, Saudi Health Ministry officials came to her home and tested her for the Covid-19 virus.

She was then given an electronic bracelet that monitors her movement and told to quarantine for several days at home.

After that, Ms Daud was moved to a hotel in Mecca, where she remains in self-isolation, still wearing the electronic wristband.

A large box of food is delivered to her hotel room three times a day as she prepares to begin the Hajj.

“It was unbelievable. It felt surreal because I was not expecting to get it,” she said of her excitement when she found out she was selected.

Ms Daud said she is praying for the end of Covid-19 and for unity among Muslims around the world.

“I am confident that safety measures are being taken and that the only thing that we need to do as pilgrims is follow instructions, and try our best to support each other,” she said.

The Saudi government is covering the expenses of all pilgrims this year, providing them with meals, hotel accommodation, transportation and health care.

Normally, the Hajj can cost thousands of dollars for those who take the journey, many of whom save for a lifetime for the trip. It also generates billions of dollars in revenue each year for Saudi Arabia.

Saudi kings have for generations assumed titles as custodians of Islam’s holiest sites, and their oversight of the Hajj is a source of prestige and influence among Muslims globally.

The Saudi government is covering the expenses of all pilgrims this year, providing them with meals, hotel accommodation, transportation and health care (Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umra)
AFP via Getty Images

The country has never cancelled the Hajj in the nearly 90 years since the kingdom was founded. The pilgrimage is required of all able-bodied Muslims once in a lifetime.

The physically demanding rituals of the Hajj offer a profound experience for Muslims, with the faithful often weeping, their palms stretched towards the sky, in prayer and repentance.

But this year, pilgrims must wear face masks and will only be able to drink holy water from the Zamzam well in Mecca that has been prepackaged in plastic bottles.

Pebbles for casting away evil that are usually picked up by pilgrims along Hajj routes will be sterilised and bagged before being distributed to the pilgrims.

Pilgrims are also bringing their own prayer rugs and will be required to pray at a distance from one another, rather than packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

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