Coronavirus: Saudi opens Haj 2020 registration for foreign residents, selection criteria issued

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saudi arabia, hajj, haj 2020, covid-19

Riyadh - Decision to exclude pilgrims arriving from outside Saudi Arabia is a first in the kingdom's modern history.

By AFP

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Published: Tue 7 Jul 2020, 7:50 PM

Saudi Arabia on Monday opened haj registration for foreign residents in the kingdom, saying they will make up 70 per cent 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 Haj, scheduled for the end of July, a far cry from the 2.5 million who attended the five-day pilgrimage last year.
Also read: Covid-19 health measures for pilgrims

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 Haj ministry said.

The registration process will be open until Friday, it added, with results of Hajj nomination to be announced on Sunday (July 12), Spa reported.
Saudi citizens will make up the remaining 30 per cent of the pilgrims, with the ritual restricted to medical professionals and security personnel who have recovered from the virus, the 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.

The pilgrims will be tested for coronavirus before arriving in the holy city of Makkah and are required to quarantine at home after the ritual, according to health officials.
Only those expatriates between the ages of 20 and 50 who are not suffering from any chronic diseases need to apply.
The applicants have to declare that they do not have diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease, and respiratory diseases and that they are not infected with coronavirus or showing its symptoms. They have to produce a certificate after undergoing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) medical test.

The applicants must have to give a pledge through the icon on the website that they did not perform Hajj earlier and that they will remain in mandatory home quarantine for 14 days before Hajj as well as 14 days after Hajj. They need to be in contact with the Ministry of Health on a daily basis through mobile applications in line with the protocols approved by the ministry.

Last month, Saudi Arabia announced it would hold a 'very limited' Haj, a decision fraught with political and economic peril as it battles a coronavirus surge.

The decision to exclude pilgrims arriving from outside Saudi Arabia is a first in the kingdom's modern history and has sparked disappointment among Muslims worldwide, although many accepted it was necessary due to the health risks involved.

Saudi Arabia has so far reported more than 213,000 coronavirus infections - the highest in the Gulf - and nearly 2,000 deaths.


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