Saudi Arabia decided Monday to maintain the large Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca at the end of July, with a "very limited number" of faithful as the coronavirus pandemic "continues to accelerate" worldwide according to the WHO.
Only people of all nationalities "inside the Saudi kingdom" will be able to perform the hajj, in accordance with precautionary measures intended to contain the spread of the virus, the agency said. This is particularly the case in Saudi Arabia, the Arab country most affected by the Gulf, with an increase in the number of infections. Authorities have officially identified more than 161,000 people infected, 1,307 of whom have died.
2.5 million Muslims in 2019
Until then, Ryad maintained uncertainty around the holding of this pilgrimage, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, which attracted 2.5 million Muslims in 2019 according to figures from the ministry responsible for organizing it.
The hajj, planned this year at the end of July, is one of the five pillars of Islam. Due to its large crowds, it can also become a huge vector of contagion for Covid-19, with worshipers from around the world.
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