Our Correspondent
Concluding this year’s Haj amid the COVID-19 pandemic, pilgrims safely performed the last stoning ritual on Jamarat Bridge in Mina on August 2 before moving back to Makkah’s Grand Mosque to do the last circumambulation of the Kaaba known as “Farewell Tawaf”. The ritual is complete when worshippers walk seven times around the Kaaba, marking the end of the Haj season.
Pilgrims entered the Grand Mosque through designated doors and had to follow marked paths to keep a safe distance from each other.
Some changes were made to the rituals including the practice of touching the Kaaba, which was prohibited this year. Only Saudi citizens and residents were permitted to perform the Haj this year, which saw the numbers scaled down from the usual 2.5 million to 1,000 this year. The COVID-19 situation in the kingdom made the authorities limit the numbers from the originally planned 10,000 to 1,000. Those trying to enter Haj sites without state permit were slapped a fine of 10,000 riyals.
With no COVID positive cases detected yet, authorities are cautiously celebrating the success of the effort to hold a safe Haj despite the pandemic. Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Abdulfattah bin Sulaiman Mashat said that after the Haj rituals were over, the pilgrims would undergo a medical examination.
The Saudi Public Security confirmed that no one was able to enter the holy sites without permission. Over 2,000 violators who tried to infiltrate these areas were caught and legal action taken against them.
Saudi Arabia, which has the highest number of Covid-19 infections in the Arab world, said this year’s Haj was “unprecedented” The kingdom has over 270,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 2,900 deaths. Earlier this year, it suspended the Umrah – a smaller version of the Haj that can take place at any time of the year – over fears it could spread the pandemic.
The Haj is one of the biggest religious gatherings in the world. It occurs two months and 10 days after Ramadan ends, during the month of Dhul-Hijjah.
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