Pilgrims arrive in Makkah for second Haj hit by pandemic
PEOPLE PERFORMING RITUALS WILL BE DIVIDED INTO GROUPS OF 20 TO RESTRICT ANY EXPOSURE
Pilgrims began arriving in Makkah yesterday for the second downsized Haj staged during the pandemic, circling Islam’s holiest site in masks and on distanced paths.
The kingdom is allowing only 60,000 fully vaccinated residents to take part, seeking to repeat last year’s success that saw no virus outbreak during the five-day ritual.
This year’s Haj, with participants chosen through a lottery, is larger than the pareddown version staged in 2020, but drastically smaller than in normal times, with Muslims abroad barred once again.
After being loaded on buses and brought to Makkah’s Grand Mosque, pilgrims began performing the tawaf, the circumambulation of the Kaaba.
Many carried umbrellas to protect themselves from the scorching summer heat.
‘6,000 people enter every three hours’
“Every three hours, 6,000 people enter to perform the tawaf of arrival,” Haj ministry spokesman Hisham Al Saeed said. “After each group leaves, a sterilisation process is carried out at the sanctuary.”
The Haj, usually one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings with some 2.5 million people taking part in 2019, is one of the five pillars of Islam.
It consists of a series of religious rites, formally starting on Sunday, which are completed over five days in Islam’s holiest city and its surroundings in western Saudi Arabia.
‘We are overjoyed’
Among the chosen ones this year was Ameen, a 58-year-old Indian oil contractor based in the eastern city of Dammam, who was picked for the ritual along with his wife and three adult children.
“We are overjoyed,” said Ameen. “So many of our friends and relatives were rejected.”
“I feel like I won a lottery,” Egyptian pharmacist Mohammad Al Eter said after being selected. “This is a special, unforgettable moment in one’s life. I thank God for granting me this chance, to be accepted among a lot of people who applied,” the 31-year-old said.
‘Restrict exposure’
Chosen from more than 558,000 applicants through an online vetting system, the event is confined to those who have been fully vaccinated and are aged 18-65 with no chronic illnesses, according to the Haj ministry. Pilgrims will be divided into groups of just 20 “to restrict any exposure to only those 20, limiting the spread of infection”, ministry undersecretary Mohammad Al Bijawi said.
Saudi Arabia has so far recorded more than 507,000 cases infections, including over 8,000 deaths. More than 20 million vaccine doses have been administered in the country of over 34 million people.
I feel like I won a lottery. This is a special, unforgettable moment in one’s life. I thank God for granting me this chance, to be accepted among a lot of people who applied.”
Mohammad Al Eter | Egyptian pharmacist
‘Biggest challenge’
“The biggest challenge of this Haj season will be for it to pass off without any Covid-19 infections,” a doctor working at a hospital in Makkah said.
Worshippers were last year given amenity kits, including sterilised pebbles for the ‘stoning of Satan’ ritual, disinfectants, masks, a prayer rug and the ihram, a traditional seamless white Haj garment, made from a bacteria-resistant material.
In addition to the many virus-related obstacles, the price of participating in this year’s Haj, including official taxes, is 12,000 riyals. The Haj ministry received anguished queries on Twitter from rejected applicants. “We are still anxiously waiting to be accepted, as though we’re facing an exam,” wrote one Twitter user.