Saudi Arabia opens Hajj services for one million people this year

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government of Saudi Arabia opened Hajj services for one million people during the hajj season in 1443 Hijri/2022 AD after two years of implementing strict restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to an information broadcast from the official Saudi Arabian news agency.

Reuters news agency on Saturday quoted Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah carried by Saudi Arabia's official news agency, the Saudi Press Agency, as saying that pilgrims wishing to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca this year must be under 65 years of age and have received the COVID-19 vaccination. -19 in full. 

Pilgrims from abroad this year are allowed to perform the pilgrimage on condition that they have received full vaccination, show a negative result of the RT-PCR test, and apply the protocol to prevent transmission of COVID-19.

Last year Saudi Arabia restricted the number of pilgrims to 60,000 from within the country, far less than the average before the COVID-19 pandemic, which reached 2.5 million. 

The government of Saudi Arabia has not yet submitted information regarding the quota of pilgrims for each country, including Indonesia.

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq F. Al-Rabiah said that the decision-making regarding the quota of pilgrims for each country is not only the authority of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, but involves other relevant agencies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

"The number of quotas will not be the same as before the pandemic. However, Saudi Arabia this year is ready to accept foreign pilgrims and preparations continue to be made," he said.

Indonesian Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas previously said that he had received information about the Saudi Arabian Government's plan to reopen hajj services for pilgrims from abroad in 2022.

"Maybe this year's hajj quota has not been normal because of the pandemic, but I hope Indonesia will get an ideal allocation. ," he said, adding that Indonesia was ready to dispatch pilgrims.