Coronavirus: Mecca in Saudi Arabia welcomes 1 million worshippers for largest haj pilgrimage since pandemic
- In 2019, about 2.5 million people took part in rituals. The following year, foreigners were barred and just 10,000 worshippers were allowed due to the pandemic
- Masks are not compulsory in most enclosed spaces in Saudi Arabia but are mandatory at the Grand Mosque, while overseas pilgrims will need a negative PCR test
White-robed worshippers from across the world have packed the streets of Mecca as Islam’s holiest city prepares to host the biggest haj pilgrimage since the coronavirus pandemic.
Banners welcoming the faithful, including the first international visitors since 2019, festooned squares and alleys, while armed security forces patrolled the ancient city, birthplace of the Prophet Mohammed.
“This is pure joy,” Sudanese pilgrim Abdel Qader Kheder said in Mecca, ahead of the event expected to start on Wednesday. “I almost can’t believe I am here. I am enjoying every moment.”
One million people, including 850,000 from abroad, are allowed at this year’s haj – a key pillar of Islam that all able-bodied Muslims are required to perform at least once – after two years of drastically curtailed numbers due to the pandemic.