Saudi Arabia has announced that taking of COVID-19 vaccine would be compulsory for those wishing to participate in the Hajj this season.
The Saudi Minister of Health, Dr Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, stated this via a circular on Monday evening.
He said, “You must prepare early to secure the manpower required to operate the health facilities in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, the holy sites, Madinah and the entry points for pilgrims, for the Hajj season for the current year, and to form a Corona vaccination committee for participants in the Hajj and Umrah season, and accordingly they adopted the compulsory taking of a vaccine Corona is for those wishing to participate, as it is one of the conditions for participating in the Hajj season.”
Al-Masry Alyaom news reported that the Saudi Minister of Health did not tell whether the pilgrims coming from outside the Kingdom or the pilgrims inside the Kingdom would be required to take the vaccine in their countries or in the Kingdom, or whether this year’s Hajj would be limited to domestic pilgrims of all nationalities, like what happened last year.
Due to the outbreak of the pandemic, Hajj rituals in 2020 were held in limited numbers for those wishing to perform the rituals of Hajj of various nationalities who are inside the Kingdom, and who reached about 10 thousand pilgrims, in light of the spread of the Coronavirus.