Today marks the start of the annual Muslim pilgrimage hajj, which usually attracts over two million Muslims to Mecca and the holy building of Kaba. But to reduce the spread of infection, this year's pilgrimage looks different - only a thousand selected may participate.

- The pilgrimage with millions of participants usually means billions in revenue for the Saudi state. Those revenues are now being lost, at the same time as the Saudi economy has already been hit hard by falling oil prices, says SVT's Middle East correspondent Stina Blomgren.

It has previously been discussed whether hajj could be performed in an alternative way.

- There has been talk of a virtual shark, but so far nothing has made an impact, says Stina Blomgren.