The Ministry of Religious Affairs has said that only fully vaccinated pilgrims will be allowed to proceed for Hajj this year.
Speaking to the state-run news agency, APP, an official of the ministry said that applicants who have been inoculated with Saudi Arabia-approved COVID-19 vaccines will be allowed to proceed with Hajj applications.
The Kingdom-approved coronavirus vaccines for traveling are:
- Pfizer
- Moderna
- Jhonson & Jhonson
- AstraZeneca
- Sputnik V
- Sinopharm
- Sinovac
He said that the pilgrims will need to submit a negative COVID-19 PCR test result taken within 72 hours prior to departure for Saudi Arabia.
“People above the age of 65 years would not perform Hajj this year,” the official said, adding that the Saudi Ministry for Hajj and Umrah has instructed all the pilgrims to follow the health instructions and comply with precautionary measures during Hajj rituals for their own safety and of others.
He added that one million pilgrims, both foreign and domestic, will be allowed to perform Hajj this year.
As per the Saudi General Authority for Statistics, 58,745 pilgrims performed Hajj rituals in 2021 while 1,000 in 2020.
When asked about Pakistan’s Hajj quota, the official said that the Saudi authorities had not made an official announcement, although it was expected before the start of Ramadan.
