Virus guidelines set out ahead of Mecca pilgrimage

SAUDI Arabia has issued guidelines for the approximately 1000 pilgrims that will be allowed to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca later this month. The pilgrims will be only be able to drink holy water from the Zamzam well in Mecca that is packaged in plastic bottles, and pebbles for casting away evil that are usually picked up by pilgrims along Hajj routes will be sterilised and bagged ahead of time. Pilgrims will also have to bring their own prayer rugs.

The guidelines were announced as Saudi authorities prepare to carry out a very limited Hajj, which for the first time will not include pilgrims from outside the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the kingdom said that 70% of pilgrims allowed to participate this year will be from among foreign residents of Saudi Arabia while 30% would be Saudi citizens.

Saudi pilgrims will be selected from among healthcare workers and security personnel who have recovered from Covid-19. The government said their selection represents a “token of appreciation for their role in providing care” during the pandemic.

Saudi Arabia has one of the Middle East’s largest outbreaks of the virus, with infection rates rising by 3000-4000 cases a day. More than 213,000 people have contracted the virus in the kingdom so far, including 1968 who have died.

The new guidelines also mandate that foreign residents in Saudi Arabia who want to participate in this year’s pilgrimage should be between the ages of 20 and 50. They must not have performed the Hajj before.

Pilgrims normally crowd and push their way toward the cube-shaped Kaaba, above, which is Islam’s holiest site. This year, authorities said anyone participating in the Hajj will not be allowed to touch the Kaaba as part of the new safety measures.