Saudi Arabia will host a smaller hajj starting on Saturday, with only residents who have been completely vaccinated against the coronavirus allowed and international Muslim pilgrims prohibited for a second year.
The monarchy hopes to build on its success from last year when no virus broke out during the five-day Muslim rite.
It will allow 60,000 Saudi Arabians to participate, up from 50,000 in 2020 but far less than in normal circumstances. On Saturday, a day before the rites begin, people will begin to come.
In 2019, more than 2.5 million Muslims from all around the world took part in the annual hajj, a basic pillar of Islam that all able-bodied Muslims must perform at least once in their lives.
In light of the epidemic and the advent of new varieties, the hajj ministry said earlier this month that it was working on the “highest levels of health measures.”
The event is limited to people who have been completely vaccinated and are between the ages of 18 and 65, with no chronic conditions, it added. It was chosen from over 558,000 candidates using an online verification method.
The pilgrimage, which usually draws big numbers to congested religious locations, could be a virus super-spreader.
Aside from tight social separation measures, the ministry announced the introduction of a “smart hajj card” that will allow pilgrims contact-free access to camps, hotels, and buses that will transport them around religious sites.
It was also noted that the card system would aid in the tracking down of any missing pilgrims.
Authorities have used black-and-white robots to dispense sacred water bottles from the Zamzam spring at Mecca’s Grand Mosque, which is built around the Kaaba, the black cubic edifice that Muslims all over the world worship to.
It is assumed that the venerated Black Stone in the Kaaba, which is traditional but not required to touch during the trip, will be kept out of reach.
