Manama: This year’s Hajj pilgrimage, which has been scaled-down due to coronavirus pandemic, will begin on Wednesday.
Around 1,000 pilgrims inside the country will perform the annual Islamic rite this year. Of these, 700 are foreigners who are staying in the kingdom. The foreigners, who are representing 160 countries in the country were selected through a transparent system, sources said.
The stand of pilgrims on Mount Arafat, the peak of the Hajj ritual, falls on Thursday, according to an earlier report of Saudi Supreme court.
The Hajj normally draws around lakhs of people across the world, Last year, more than 25 lakhs people performed the Hajj. Of these, 18 lakhs were people from abroad.
Saudi has enacted a series of stringent health measures for the safety of the pilgrims during Hajj.
Last month, Saudi Arabia announced that it would scale down the participation in the pilgrimage to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Hajj will be performed in a safe manner including necessary social distancing, Ministry added.
The Hajj ministry said it would strictly adhere to all precautionary measures put forward by the health ministry, including necessary social distancing. All participants were tested for coronavirus prior to their arrival at Makkah and were quarantined for seven days. Their health condition is being monitored on a daily basis.
The pilgrims are staying in the Abraj Mina building in Mina. Accommodation for pilgrims was arranged at a distance of nine meters at Mina, Arafa and Musdalifah, according to the Hajj ministry.
The decision to exclude pilgrims arriving from outside Saudi Arabia is a first in the kingdom's modern history.
