Only around 1000 muslims will be allowed to attend Hajj

Following the scare of the coronavirus pandemic, the officials had announced earlier this week that only a set of people will be allowed the Hajj this year. The number of people allowed for attending the annual ritual would be around 1000, as per reports. 

While addressing people through a press conference,  Saudi Arabia’s Hajj Minister Muhammad Benten said, “The number, God willing, maybe in the thousands. We are in the process of reviewing so it could be 1,000 or less, or a little more.” 

Meanwhile, people who age below 65 years will only be allowed to attend the annual ritual and they should agree on terms of maintaining social distance by wearing masks and sanitizing over a regular interval. Also, people will be requested to quarantine themselves before and after the event. Hajj used to host more than 2 million people from all across the world. 

Precisely, many countries are given permission to attend the annual event of Hajj where people even book tickets by paying higher amounts than usual. It is considered to be the most imperative part of Islam. Reacting on the news, India’s Maulana Khalid Rashid, chairman of the Islamic Center lashed out at China for not providing the information of coronavirus’ spread and said, “Had China told the world about COVID beforehand, the world would have reacted differently. This is an annual ritual and the tradition should not be broken. It is a wish of every Muslim to perform hajj, but because of COVID-19, it will not be possible this year.” 

Every devotee of Islam is said to have visited or attended Hajj once in his/her life through various means but this time, the plans have been canceled for many, following the heavy surge in the number of coronavirus patients. Precautions and public health will be on a high priority list and measures will also be taken accordingly, as per the reports.