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- Hajj 2022: dates, packages, Covid rules and all you need to know
- More than 266,000 pilgrims arrive in Madinah for Hajj 2022
- Saudi Arabia aims to keep pilgrimage clean and eco-friendly
Saudi Arabia said it will permit up to a million pilgrims from abroad this year and has expanded capacity after two years of limiting the Hajj to domestic pilgrims due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The kindgom closed its borders in 2020 to contain the spread of Covid-19 and Hajj was restricted to 1,000 domestic pilgrims. Last year, numbers were limited to 60,000 because of the health threat posed by the pandemic.
This year, after the introduction of mass vaccinations and amid lower Covid-19 cases, relaxed social distancing and travel laws, authorities are eager to welcome people from abroad to perform Hajj in July. Hajj pilgrims travelling from overseas are expected to constitute 85 per cent of the total attending.
Saudi Arabia has said those wishing to perform Hajj have to apply online.
The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, must be undertaken by all Muslims who have the means at least once in their lives.
Usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings, about 2.5 million people participated in 2019.
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