Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that it would allow pilgrims from outside the country to perform Hajj this year, local media reported.
According to the Saudi Gazette, the pilgrimage will be open to all in the 2021 season with strict health and precautionary measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the Kingdom.
The move comes after the Kingdom’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said on May 9 that it would be going ahead with this year’s pilgrimage with all health, security, and regulatory measures in place in order to preserve the health and well-being of pilgrims.
Earlier this month, the ministry said health institutions in Saudi Arabia would continue to monitor the situation and take all necessary steps to protect the health of all people.
The ministry said it would announce specific measures and organizational plans later.
For the first time in modern history, the pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah was stopped in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hajj that usually sees over 2.5 million Muslims travel to Makkah was curtailed last year to allow just 10,000 pilgrims to take part due to COVID-19.