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Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is prepared to receive two million Muslim pilgrims, to perform Haj this year, as the kingdom has lifted COVID-19 pandemic-induced limits, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The Minister of Haj and Umrah Dr Tawfiq Al-Rabiah disclosed the number on Tuesday during an official visit to Algeria, where he said Algeria would be given 41,300 spots for pilgrims.
Referring to services targeting pilgrims, Al-Rabiah mentioned projects worth Saudi Riyals 200 billion designed to keep pace with the expected rise in the numbers of pilgrims and the high-speed rail service linking the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
“The Ministry and all parties involved in the Haj and Umrah system are keen to provide the best health and logistical services to all pilgrims, in a way that saves time and effort,” he said.
On January 9, Saudi Arabia announced that it would not impose restrictions on the number of pilgrims for this year, after three years of restrictions to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the last two years, Saudi Arabia had reduced the number of Muslims allowed to perform Haj to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Haj – one of the five pillars of Islam, which all able-bodied Muslims are required to perform at least once – is scheduled for June.
In 2019, about 2.5 million people took part in the ritual. Over the next two years, the numbers were drastically reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, nearly 900,000 pilgrims, including about 780,000 from overseas, will be welcomed to Makkah and Madinah.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )