Saudi Arabia lifts coronavirus restrictions on Hajj-pilgrims this year
The authorities of the kingdom had set several limitations on Hajj-pilgrims due to the coronavirus pandemic past three years.
Saudi Arabia will not impose limits on the number of hajj pilgrims this year, a Saudi minister said Monday, after three years of restrictions to curb the pandemic, Turanews.kz reports citing Anadolu Agency.
“The number of pilgrims will return to what it was before the pandemic, without any age limit,” Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq al-Rabiah told reporters in Riyadh.
The minister said Hajj missions from around the world will be allowed to agree with any authorized company to provide services in Saudi Arabia.
“Together with our partners, we launched the NUSK platform to facilitate procedures and enrich the experience of the pilgrims,” he added.
The Hajj, the pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest site Kaaba in Mecca, is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims are required to perform it at least once in their life if they have the means to do so.
Saudi Arabia held downsized Hajj in the last three years due to restrictions imposed to stem the outbreak of COVID-19.
