Saudi Arabia has announced new procedures for those wishing to perform the rites of Hajj this year, with its preparations to receive one million pilgrims from inside and outside the Kingdom.
The Saudi authorities have created a government electronic portal that allows those wishing to perform the Hajj rituals from many Western countries to register directly to obtain the necessary visas, in a move aimed at eliminating "fake travel agencies."
And the French press agency quoted a Saudi official as saying that this system will apply to citizens of the United States, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Those wishing to go on pilgrimage in these countries were able to register through travel agencies that organize annual trips to perform sacred rites, but this system had the risk of fraud or low-level service provision.
Saudi Arabia announced the new mechanism last week, and the registration process ended yesterday evening, Monday, and the authorities said that the new mechanism aims to "ensure the quality of services and transparency in their costs."
lottery for applicants
The Saudi authorities will draw a lottery among the applicants to choose a number compatible with each country's share of pilgrims. Next Wednesday, the authorities will announce the names of the winners of the Hajj lottery from within the Kingdom.
The Hajj season is scheduled to start in the first week of next July, and the first foreign pilgrims from outside the Kingdom have already arrived, for the first time since the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic.
Pilgrims from Indonesia arrived in Madinah (west of the Kingdom) last Saturday to visit the Prophet's Mosque, before heading to Makkah Al-Mukarramah in the coming weeks to prepare for the Hajj next month.
Corona precautions
Today, Saudi Arabia abolished the obligation to put the muzzle in closed places, except for the holy places in Mecca and Medina, and the Saudi Press Agency reported a source in the Ministry of Interior as saying that “it was decided to lift the precautionary and preventive measures related to combating the Corona pandemic.
He explained that this includes "not requiring the muzzle to be worn in closed places, with the exception of the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina."
The epidemic caused a major obstacle to the pilgrimage in the past two seasons, and Saudi Arabia allowed only 1,000 people from inside the kingdom to perform the ritual in the season before last, before the number was raised last season to 60,000 fully vaccinated and they were selected by lottery.
This year's pilgrimage is limited to the age group less than 65 years, with the requirement to complete immunization with basic doses of Covid-19 vaccines approved by the Saudi Ministry of Health.
The authorities required pilgrims from outside the Kingdom to submit a negative coronavirus test result for a sample taken within 72 hours before the departure date.
In early March, the kingdom announced the lifting of most restrictions, including social distancing in public places and quarantine for vaccinated arrivals, steps that were expected to be a prelude to allowing pilgrims to arrive from abroad this year.