Saudi Arabia has issued SOPs for about 1,000 pilgrims who will be allowed to perform the hajj pilgrimage in Mecca later this month, an experience that will be unlike any before because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The pilgrims will only be able to drink holy water from the Zamzam well in Mecca that is packaged in plastic bottles, and pebbles for casting away evil that are usually picked up by pilgrims along Hajj routes will be sterilised and bagged ahead of time. Pilgrims will also have to bring their own prayer rugs.
Saudi SOPs for Hajj amid pandemic announced
The guidelines were announced Monday as Saudi authorities prepare for a very limited hajj, which for the first time will not include pilgrims from outside the country. Instead, the kingdom said that 70% of pilgrims allowed to make the pilgrimage this year will be from among foreign residents of Saudi Arabia and 30% would be Saudi citizens.
Saudi pilgrims will be selected from among healthcare workers and security personnel who have recovered from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. The government said their selection represents a “token of appreciation for their role in providing care” during the pandemic.
Read more: Limited Hajj to be held this year due to coronavirus: Saudi state media
Saudi Arabia has one of the Middle East’s largest outbreaks of the virus, with infection rates rising by 3,000-4,000 cases daily. More than 213,000 people have contracted the virus in the kingdom so far, including 1,968 who have died.
The new guidelines also mandate that the foreign residents making this year’s pilgrimage should be between the ages of 20 and 50, and that they have not performed the hajj before. The pilgrims will have to quarantine before and after the hajj, and they will be tested for the coronavirus. Those eligible have until Friday to submit an application through the Hajj Ministry’s website.
Saudi SOPs for Hajj announced: scaled back Hajj
Saudi Arabia has dramatically scaled back the hajj due to concerns about overcrowding at the annual pilgrimage, which usually draws about 2.5 million people, saying its decision was aimed at preserving global public health.
At the hajj, the crowds move, pray and stand in extremely close proximity, often squeezed shoulder-to-shoulder, as they carry out five days of rites around Mecca.
Read more: Saudi Arabia opens Hajj registration for foreign residents within the Kingdom
As part of the new safety measures this year, authorities said anyone participating in the hajj will not be allowed to touch the cube-shaped Kaaba, which is Islam’s holiest site and the metaphorical house of God.
Pilgrims this year will also have to wear masks, maintain physical distance during prayers and sleep in tents that follow guidelines on social distancing.
Saudi Arabia opens registrations for Hajj for people within its borders
Earlier, Saudi Arabia on Monday opened Hajj registration for foreign residents in the kingdom, saying they will make up 70 percent of the pilgrims after it scaled-back the annual ritual due to coronavirus.
Saudi Arabia has said it will allow only around 1,000 pilgrims already present in the kingdom to participate in this year’s hajj, scheduled for the end of July, a far cry from the 2.5 million who attended the five-day pilgrimage last year.
Read more: Economy to take a hit as Hajj curtailed for 2020 by Saudi Arabia
Foreign residents, aged between 20 and 65 who have no previous health ailments such as diabetes and heart conditions, are allowed to register on https://localhaj.haj.gov.sa., the Hajj ministry said.
“They will be selected through the database of those who have recovered from the virus,” the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.
No kissing, touching of Kaaba in Hajj 2020
Earlier, Saudi Arabia’s ministers of Hajj and Health have assured the safety of pilgrims during Hajj 2020 – announcing guidelines including age restrictions, social distancing measures among others at a press conference held on Tuesday. The Saudi SOPs for Hajj have been instated keeping the ongoing pandemic in mind.
Saudi Arabia announced health protocols to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in the 2020 Haj season, banning gatherings and meetings between pilgrims, the state news agency said on Monday.
Read more: Economy to take a hit as Hajj curtailed for 2020 by Saudi Arabia
Touching or kissing the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam, will be banned during the Hajj this year, and a physical distancing space of a metre and a half between each pilgrim during the rituals including mass prayers and while in the Kaaba circling area will be imposed, according to a statement by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).
Coronavirus rampaging across the Middle East
In other developments in the Middle East, Iran’s health ministry on Tuesday announced the highest single-day spike in deaths from coronavirus, with 200 new fatalities. Spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said that was an increase of 40 from Monday, when 160 were reported to have died of COVID-19.
She blamed the spike on large gatherings for weddings and other ceremonies, where people do not observe distancing regulations. Iran on Sunday instituted mandatory mask-wearing even as its public increasingly shrugs off the danger of the virus. Iran has reported more than 245,000 cases of the virus so far and 11,931 deaths.
Elsewhere, Israel’s parliament passed an emergency bill early Tuesday allowing the government to impose immediate decisions on combating a renewed outbreak of the coronavirus without standard parliamentary approval.
The Israeli government reimposed new restrictions on the public on Monday, limiting gatherings and ordering reception halls, restaurants, bars, theaters, fitness centers and pools be shut down again.
Read more: Hajj on the brink as Saudi Arabia mulls decision amid virus spike
Just weeks ago, Israel had appeared to have contained its initial outbreak after imposing strict measures early on in the pandemic. But it has experienced a steady uptick following an easing of restrictions in May. Currently, Israel is reporting upward of 1,000 new cases a day — higher than its peak during the previous wave.
The outbreak has also hit the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority extended a lockdown for an additional five days.
Meanwhile, the Dubai Financial Market, the sheikhdom’s stock exchange, reopened on Tuesday, when the city-state also began welcoming tourists again. The market closed mid-March over the pandemic, but trading continued online throughout the closure.
“We ensured that there is physical distancing between investors and employees’ offices, which is the most important element for safety during this time,” market official Jamal al-Khadhar told The Associated Press. “There are glass barriers, there are iPads that people can use for any transactions, there’s also a whole setup and sanitizers available and the entire market was sanitized to implement safety measures.”
GVS News Desk with additional input by other sources