Delayed By Two Years, Minister Of Religion Yaqut Hopes February There Will Be Clarity About Hajj

JAKARTA - Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas hopes that in February 2022 there will be clarity regarding the implementation of the Hajj, considering that there are only four months of preparation left, assuming the first departure is on June 5.

"As for the target, we have a target, hopefully next month in February there will be clarity," said the Minister of Religion, during a working meeting with Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives which was attended from Jakarta, reported by Antara, Monday, January 17.

Yaqut said that until now the Saudi Arabian authorities have not provided certainty regarding the implementation of the Hajj 1443 Hijri / 2022 AD, after previously the departure of pilgrims from Indonesia was delayed for two years.

While waiting for confirmation, Yaqut ensured that the Ministry of Religion would continue to prepare all possible departures for prospective pilgrims through three schemes, namely full quota, limited quota, or no departure at all.

"We are making preparations so that when whatever decision is made regarding the pilgrimage, we can all be ready to carry it out, whether it is carried out in full, limited or not at all," he said. Meanwhile, Secretary General of the Ministry of Health Kunta Wibawa Dasa Nugraha said his party had prepared various scenarios, ranging from preparation of the health of hajj pilgrims, hajj health workers, facilities and infrastructure in Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, as well as technical matters regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specifically for the technical aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kunta said the Ministry of Health had compiled a health promotion for COVID-19 prevention, by coordinating with regional health offices, then preparing the PCR swab mechanism, compiling health protocol guidelines, both for pilgrims and hajj officers.

"Finally, the preparation of contingency plans and operational plans for the Arafah, Muzdalifah, and Mina (Armuzna) phases. That's in general what we have prepared, including several things, both in terms of applications, infrastructure, health and others, "said Kunta.