Saudi says Hajj 2020 will hold

By Adekunle Badmus

Saudi Arabia has announced that, Hajj 2020 will hold in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The announcement was made today via Twitter handle of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Hajj and Umrah affairs.

The Kingdom of Saudi says only diffrent nationalities that already reside in Saudi Arabia will perform Hajj 2020.

The decision was taken due to the ongoing threat from the coronavirus pandemic and to preserve

“global public health,” the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said.

Pilgrims taking part will be from various nationalities who already reside in Saudi Arabia

About 2.5 million pilgrims performed Hajj last year but the ongoing scale and spread of COVID-19 worldwide means people will not be able to travel to the Kingdom to take part.

The ministry said the decision had been made

“in light of continuation of the pandemic and the risks of Coronavirus spreading in crowded spaces and large gatherings.”

The statement said: “A very limited number of pilgrims from various nationalities who already reside in Saudi Arabia, would be able to perform it.

This decision is taken to ensure Hajj is performed in a safe manner from a public health perspective while observing all preventative measures and the necessary social distancing protocols.”

Last year, more than 1.8 million pilgrims traveled to Saudi Arabia from abroad to take part.

The Hajj Ministry said this year the risk of transmitting the disease between countries and the increase in infections globally meant the risk was too high.

The ministry said Saudi Arabia’s top priority is to always enable Muslim pilgrims can perform Hajj and Umrah safely and securely.