Saudi Arabia announced health rules to prevent the spread of the new Corona virus during the 2020 Hajj season, banned gatherings and meetings between pilgrims, and prevented touching the Kaaba.

A statement by the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, "Prevention", stated that touching the Kaaba during Hajj will be prohibited this year, and imposing a social distance of at least 1.5 meters between each person during the performance of the rituals, including congregational prayer and the circumambulation area around the Kaaba.

In June, Saudi Arabia decided to limit the number of local pilgrims to about a thousand people, to prevent the spread of the Corona virus, after a ban on Muslims from outside the Kingdom performing the pilgrimage this year, for the first time in contemporary time.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said in a statement that the priority will be for non-Saudi pilgrims, who will be allocated 70% of the available places.

The tests must prove that none of those who were chosen to perform the rites were infected with the emerging coronavirus, that they were not pilgrims before, and that their ages ranged between 20 and 50 years, and that they did not suffer from chronic diseases.

"The Saudi citizens' pilgrimage is limited to health practitioners and security men recovering from the emerging corona virus as Covid-19, in recognition of their role in caring for segments of society in all stages of confronting the pandemic," the ministry added.

Last March, Saudi Arabia suspended Umrah due to the virus, while asking Muslims to wait before entering into Hajj contracts.

As of this evening, the total number of corona deaths in Saudi Arabia reached 1968, and the total number of injuries reached 213,716 cases.