The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has approved the participation of one million pilgrims, including foreigners and Saudi residents, in the 2022 Hajj exercise, after two years of restrictions.
The Kingdom restricted participation in the Hajj to Saudi nationals and residents in 2020 and 2021, partly to avoid the entry of the deadly COVID-19 virus into the kingdom.
According to a statement released by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the Kingdom is committed to ensuring that the greatest number of Muslims possible conduct Hajj and visit the Prophet’s Mosque in a safe and spiritual environment, with a one million allocation.
Regardless of the allotment, the Saudi Ministry of Health has set a maximum age limit of 65 years old, as well as necessary COVID-19 immunizations for those who are interested.
According to the statement, pilgrims traveling from outside the Kingdom for the 2022 hajj must provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained within 72 hours of departure from the Kingdom.
Among other restrictions, the Saudi authorities recommended strict adherence to stated instructions from the Kingdom’s ministry of health, particularly preventative steps to maintain their health and safety while completing the Hajj ceremonies.
Nigeria and other hajj-participating countries throughout the world are waiting for the global allocation to be distributed. Though there is concern that Nigeria will lose more than half of its prior allocations, there are also concerns that the maximum age limit may naturally dissuade hundreds of would-be pilgrims.
Meanwhile, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has threatened to penalise state pilgrim welfare boards that fail to deposit rollover deposits for 2020/2021 into a special account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The commission condemned the affected states’ attitude in a statement issued by NAHCON’s spokesperson, Fatima Usara, over the weekend, saying it was in violation of the laws and principles governing hajj operations in Nigeria.
