Saudi Arabia Expands Hajj to 1 Million Pilgrims

Saudi Arabia will allow 1 million people to join the Hajj pilgrimage this year, state media reported on Saturday.

Following two years of tight COVID restrictions, Saudi Arabia expanded the Islamic event to participants from outside the Kingdom. Nonetheless, the authorities had set some rules for those who will enter the country to perform the rituals.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah stated that pilgrims to Mecca this year must be under age 65 and fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Moreover, the ministry added that participants from abroad will be allowed this year but must introduce a recent negative PCR test, affirming that health precautions will be observed.

Last year, Saudi Arabia limited the annual Haj, one of Islam's five main pillars, to 60,000 domestic participants, compared to the pre-pandemic 2.5 million.

The SPA agency noted that the number of Umrah performers arriving in the Kingdom since allowing Umrah performers to come from all ports has reached 895,499, through air, land and sea.