RIYADH, Jun 13 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabia announced yesterday, at a press conference, to limit the upcoming Hajj season to domestic pilgrims only, of a maximum of 60,000 individuals.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah decided to limit the availability of registration for those wishing to perform the Hajj rituals this year, to citizens and residents inside the country only, due to the global COVID-19 outbreaks and the new virus mutations.
This year, vaccinated and recovered citizens and residents of the age group 18-65, who do not have chronic diseases, would be allowed to register to perform the Hajj.
The upcoming Hajj will be the second season with no overseas pilgrims, due to concerns of the pandemic.
The ministry stressed that the decision was taken for the safety and health of pilgrims, supported by the other Islamic states.
Last year, 1,000 pilgrims of 160 nationalities living in Saudi Arabia performed the Hajj, along with medics and security personnel.
In the last 10 years, the kingdom welcomed more than 150 million pilgrims.– NNN-SPA
