By Mabinty M. Kamara
Saudi Arabia has in a press statement announced restriction of the registration for the 2021 pilgrimage to only citizens and residents of the Kingdom due to the coronavirus pandemic that continues to ravage the world.
This latest announcement according to report from Sierra Leone’s Information attaché in Saudi Arabia, Abubakarr Bah, supersedes the previous Hajj release that was issued in early May this year.
According to the statement released on Saturday 12th June 2021 from Saudi’s ministries of Health and Hajj, a total of 60,000 pilgrims within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be allowed to perform the pilgrimage this year, which will begin mid -July.
“The total number of pilgrims this year is limited to ONLY 60,000 people, for residents of all other nationalities and citizens inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the statement reads in part.
It added that those who fall within the category announced, wishing to perform Hajj must be free of any chronic diseases, and to be within the ages from 18 to 65 years and must be vaccinated against the virus, according to the Kingdom vaccination measures.
"Hajj pilgrims should be fully vaccinated, or those who took one dose of the covid-19 at least 14 days before, or those who are vaccinated after recovering from coronavirus infection,” it added.
The decision is "based on the Kingdom's desire to enable the guests and visitors at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque to perform the rituals of Hajj and Umrah," the release stated, adding that the Kingdom puts human health and safety first.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Muslim World League (MWL), the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are said to have welcomed Saudi Arabia's decision. They said Sharia (Islamic) law states that "it is imperative to take all safety precautions during such pandemics."
The pilgrimage to Mecca is part of the five pillars of Islam practiced every year by those who can afford it. But the practice has for the past two years been interrupted by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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