Saudi Arabia prepares to re-open 1560 mosques in Mecca to receive worshipers starting from the dawn of Sunday, after they were closed for 90 days, due to the precautionary and preventive measures taken against the outbreak of the new Coronavirus, according to Riyadh newspaper.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia reported 4,301 new coronavirus cases and 41 deaths, raising the total number of cases in the Kingdom to 150,292 while the virus-related death toll reached 1,184.
Earlier this month, the Financial Times newspaper, quoting a senior official in Saudi Arabia, said that the Kingdom is considering canceling the hajj pilgrimage season this year for the first time since its foundation in 1932, after the total number of Coronavirus (covid-19) cases of surpassed 100,000.
A senior official in the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah told the British newspaper that the issue has been carefully studied, and different scenarios have been developed, while an official decision will be taken within a week.
“The issue has been carefully studied and different scenarios are being considered. An official decision will be made within one week,” he said.
Among the proposals put forward is to allow a small number of local pilgrims to perform the hajj while taking strict sanitary measures. However, there is a possibility of cancelling the Hajj season. The official said that all options are on the table, but the priority is for the health and safety of the pilgrims.
The Financial Times pointed out that Saudi Arabia was able to organize the Hajj during previous outbreaks such as Ebola and MERS, but the global scale of Coronavirus poses a far more difficult challenge.
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