Indian Muslims will not be able to make the Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah this year, too, due to Covid-19.
Saudi Arabia says no foreign pilgrim will be allowed to perform the annual pilgrimage for the second straight year. Only the citizens and residents of Saudi Arabia – a maximum of 60,000 people – will be allowed, according to news reports.
“Those wishing to perform the Hajj must be free of chronic diseases and be vaccinated,” Saudi Arabia said in a statement on Saturday, June 12, 2021. This year’s Hajj will also be restricted to people aged between 18 and 65 years, it added.
Last year, Saudi Arabia had restricted the Hajj to about 1,000 citizens and residents. This year’s Hajj will start in the third week of July.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, an estimated 25 lakh performed the Hajj every year, including more than 1.5 lakh from India, which has the second largest Muslim population in the world.
