The Sultanate on Sunday welcomed the decision taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to restrict the annual Haj pilgrimage to its own citizens and residents for the second year amid fears of Covid-19.
The Sultanate expresses its appreciation for the efforts made by the Kingdom in serving and safeguarding the pilgrims.
On Saturday, the Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah announced that the Haj rituals for this season would be limited only to 60,000 citizens and residents inside the Kingdom with the condition that they receive a Covid-19 vaccine. The decision has been taken in light of the ongoing pandemic.
In a statement, the ministry also stressed the need to be free of chronic diseases, should be in the 18-65 age group and vaccinated against Covid-19.
Last year, the Saudi’s authorities announced strict controls for a “limited pilgrimage” to those from within the country, and in numbers that did not exceed 10,000 at the time. In the previous years, it had exceeded two million from inside and outside the country.
The statement stressed that the authorities were keen to provide all the necessary facilities to perform the Haj and Umrah and provided their services during the past ten years to more than 150 million pilgrims.
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