Saudi Arabia issues coronavirus guidelines for Hajj

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has set mandatory guidelines and health protocols for pilgrims performing during this year’s Hajj which has been limited due to coronavirus pandemic.

The National Centre for Disease Prevention and Control unveiled health protocols for the Hajj season, as well as several general guidelines for health workers and practitioners.

This year’s Hajj has been limited and confined to Saudi citizens and expatriate residents, to ensure the safety of pilgrims and prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and will not exceed 10,000 people.

The move aims to ensure Hajj is safely performed while abiding by all preventive measures to protect pilgrims and adhere strictly to the teachings of Islam in preserving our health and safety.

The general guidelines include the ban on entering the holy sites (Mina, Muzdalifah, Arafat) without a permit, starting from July 19 until August 2.

Food, buildings, and Transport guidelines

Pilgrims should not share personal tools and equipment such as protective equipment, communication devices, clothing, shaving products or towels.

It also includes instructions regarding the number of people allowed to use elevators to ensure that the recommended social distancing is maintained and distributing hand sanitizers. During congregational prayers, pilgrims must wear face masks, keep a safe distance and adhere to all protocols for mosques.

The health protocols for this year’s Hajj season included some instructions on residential buildings. All staff must wear face masks while working, at reception stations and before entering guest rooms, while uests must wear face masks when outside their rooms.

As for dining places, the directives and protocols included providing drinking water and Zamzam water in individual and single-use containers, removing or disabling all refrigerators in Makkah holy sites, and restricting meals to pre-prepared and packaged foods, to be provided individually for each pilgrim.

The transport guidelines include specifying a bus for each group and a seat number assigned to the same pilgrim during the entire Hajj trip, not allowing pilgrims to stand inside the bus during the trip, and allowing families to sit together if possible.

The number of passengers inside the bus during the duration of the trip should not exceed 50 percent of the total capacity of the bus, and maintain the physical distancing by leaving at least an empty seat between each passenger.

Tawaaf, Arafat, and Makkah

Pilgrims must commit to residing in designated places and not to deviate from the path designated by the Hajj trip’s regulator. They must wear face masks all the time while performing the Hajj rituals.

As for distributing pilgrims to tents, they should not exceed 10 pilgrims per 50 square metre of the area of tents, while maintaining a distance of at least 1.5 metres between each pilgrim . Other protocols include preventing crowding at public baths and ablution areas by placing floor stickers and increasing the number of bathrooms or washbasins

The protocols for stoning of Satan, the stone-throwing ritual, include providing pilgrims with pre-sterilised stones that are placed or wrapped in sealed bags.

The throwing site will be regulated so that the number of pilgrims throwing stones at the same time does not exceed 50 pilgrims, while keeping a distance of 1.5 metres at least between each of them.

The new protocols include certain guidelines for pilgrims while they are the Grand Mosque of Makkah, most notably is scheduling the pilgrims to perform ‘’Tawaf” circling the Kaaba in a manner that guarantees a distance of at least 1.5 metres between each pilgrim and reduces crowding.

Pilgrims are banned from touching or kissing the black stone in Kaaba. Barriers will be placed this year to prevent pilgrims from touching or kissing the black stone to minimise physical contact between them and ensure seamless Hajj process.

Pilgrims will be spread on all floors to ensure the recommended physical distancing is maintained, reduce personal contact between pilgrims at the Great Mosque and prevent gatherings in general. 

Security men will oversee the regulation of pilgrims while using Zamzam water coolers where floor stickers will be placed to ensure social distancing. Pilgrims will not be allowed to use their own containers to fill with Zamzam water and will be prevented from bringing food or eating outdoors.