SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Saudi Arabia has barred foreign travelers from the annual Haj pilgrimage for the second year in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a Saudi ministry said on Saturday.
The ministry that manages the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca said only people aged between 18 and 65 who have been vaccinated or immunized against the virus, and are free of chronic diseases, would be able to take part, State Press Agency reported.
It set a maximum of 60,000 participants for this year’s Haj pilgrimage.
“The decision [was made] to guarantee the safety of haj amid uncertainty over the coronavirus,” Saudi health minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah said in a televised press conference carried by SPA, according to Reuters.
“Despite the availability of vaccine, there is uncertainty over the virus and some countries still record high numbers of COVID cases, the other challenge is the different variants of the virus, hence came the decision to restrict haj,” he added.
The minister said only approved COVID vaccines from Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson would be valid for the haj.
Before the pandemic enforced social distancing globally, some 2.5 million pilgrims used to visit the holiest sites of Islamic in Mecca and Medina for the week-long haj, according to official data.
