Saudi Arabia announced Saturday it will allow 60,000 residents vaccinated against COVID-19 to perform this year’s hajj, but Muslims from abroad will be barred for a second straight year.
The hajj — a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lives — typically packs millions of pilgrims into congested religious sites and could be a major source of contagion amid the coronavirus pandemic.
This year it would be “open for nationals and residents of the kingdom, limited to 60,000 pilgrims”, the hajj ministry said, quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency.
The pilgrimage, scheduled to be held in July, would be limited to those who have been vaccinated and are aged 18-…
Keep on reading: Saudi allows 60,000 vaccinated residents on hajj, bars foreigners again