This year, Saudi Arabia said that Hajj will not be canceled due to COVID-19, but only “very limited numbers” of people will be allowed to perform the major Muslim pilgrimage.
The kingdom said that only people of various nationalities already residing in the country would be allowed to perform the Hajj, reported news agency, Associated Press.
The government did not specify how many people would be permitted to take part. The annual pilgrimage, which is set to begin this year at the end of July, traditionally draws around 2 million Muslims from around the world for five intense days of worship and rituals in Mecca.
Saudi Arabia has never canceled the hajj in the nearly 90 years since the nation’s establishment.
It halted the minor umrah pilgrimage, which can be performed year-round, in February, as the coronavirus began spreading across the region.
(With inputs from AP)
