DDHK.ORG - The government of Saudi Arabia officially stipulates that the pilgrimage in 2021 (1442 Hijriyah) can only be performed by its citizens and expatriates living in the country. As the impact of Covid-19, which is still endemic with the emergence of new variants globally, the Government of Saudi Arabia does not accept the arrival of pilgrims from abroad.
"Given what has caught the attention of the whole world from the ongoing development of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, as well as the emergence of new mutations, the registration of Hajj will be limited as an effort to carry out our duties, only for residents and citizens from within the kingdom," tweeted Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Saudi Arabia, Saturday (12/6/2021), through its official Twitter account, @HajMinistry.
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بيان #وزارة_الحج_والعمرة ليات ابط #حج_1442هـ الل (الاندونيسية) pic.twitter.com/1ZYKfeooNB
— ارة الحج العمرة (@HajMinistry) June 12, 2021
The official announcement was followed by posting a statement entitled "Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Announces Rules and Mechanisms for the Implementation of Hajj in 1442 H By Implementing Preventive Measures" which was delivered in several languages. Namely, Arabic, English, Hindi, and Indonesian.
Through this statement, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia confirmed that it took a policy regarding the limited pilgrimage to be carried out in the midst of the corona outbreak as a form of implementing the main objectives of Islamic law. "The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia always pays attention to the safety, health and security of the pilgrims, and with great care and makes it a top priority as a form of implementing the main goal of Islamic law in protecting human life."
In the last 10 years, the Government of Saudi Arabia claims to have served more than 150 million pilgrims. On average, about 15 million pilgrims per year.
This year, the pilgrimage can only be performed by a maximum of 60 thousand people. "The total number of pilgrims for the year 1442 H is 60.000 pilgrims, namely for expatriates of all nationalities and citizens of Saudi Arabia," the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia wrote in a statement.
And even then with the condition, "The health conditions of the pilgrims who want to perform the pilgrimage in 1442 H must be free from chronic diseases."
In addition, the implementation of this year's Hajj 1442 H is also limited to the age group of 18-65 years, as the age category that has been vaccinated in Saudi Arabia. This is also related to the next requirement, namely the pilgrims who have received a complete dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, who have just received the first dose of injection within a period of 14 days, or people who have been vaccinated after being infected.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah emphasized that the restrictions on the implementation of the Hajj this year were solely based on the Saudi Arabian Government's serious attention to the importance of health, safety and security of the pilgrims and their country. (DDHK News)
