Saudi Arabia Announces One Million People Can Perform Hajj In 2022, Must Be Under 65 Years Old

Illustration of Hajj. (Photo via Antara)

JAKARTA - Good news for prospective pilgrims, including from Indonesia. The government of Saudi Arabia has announced that it will open Hajj services during the Hajj season in 1443 Hijri/2022 AD.

Unmitigated, Saudi Arabia opened its doors to one million people. This is the first time since the last two years after the implementation of strict restrictions to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.

However, there are conditions that must be met.

As reported by Reuters from Reuters, citing a statement from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia broadcast by the official Saudi Arabian news agency, the Saudi Press Agency, pilgrims who wish to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca this year must be under 65 years of age and have received the COVID-19 vaccination regularly. full.

Pilgrims from abroad this year are allowed to perform the pilgrimage on condition that they have received full vaccination, show a negative result of the RT-PCR test, and apply the protocol to prevent transmission of COVID-19.

Last year Saudi Arabia restricted the number of pilgrims to 60,000 from within the country, far less than the average before the COVID-19 pandemic, which reached 2.5 million.

The government of Saudi Arabia has not yet submitted information regarding the quota of pilgrims for each country, including Indonesia.

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq F. Al-Rabiah said that the decision-making regarding the quota of pilgrims for each country is not only the authority of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, but involves other relevant agencies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

"The number of quotas will not be the same as before the pandemic. However, Saudi Arabia this year is ready to accept foreign pilgrims and preparations continue to be made," he said.

The Indonesian Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas previously said he had received information about the Saudi Arabian Government's plan to reopen Hajj services for pilgrims from abroad in 2022.

"Maybe this year's hajj quota is not normal because of the pandemic, but I hope that Indonesia will get an ideal allocation," he said, adding that Indonesia was ready to dispatch pilgrims.