The Hajj will be limited to vaccinated pilgrims under the age of 65. Those coming from outside Saudi Arabia will need to present a negative PCR test less than 72 hours old.
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They should be 15 times more numerous than in 2021. Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday April 9 in a press release that it was going to authorize one million practitioners, whether Saudi or from all over the world, to participate in the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. As a reminder, after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the Saudi authorities only authorized 1,000 pilgrims to participate. In 2021, the authorization was only valid for 60,000 residents, fully vaccinated and chosen by lot. Before the start of the health crisis, in 2019, around 2.5 million had taken part in this pilgrimage.
The outbreak and accompanying restrictions are not entirely absent, however. According to the announcement on Saturday, this year’s Hajj will be limited to vaccinated pilgrims under the age of 65. Those coming from outside Saudi Arabia will need to present a negative PCR test less than 72 hours old.
The Hajj consists of a series of religious rites performed over five days in Islam’s holiest city, Mecca, and surrounding areas of western Saudi Arabia.