Barely a month to the 2021 hajj pilgrimage, the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has barred intending pilgrims from Nigeria and other countries from performing hajj this year.

The government said only those residing in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to perform hajj this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saudi authorities announced this in a statement on Saturday, June 12, 2021, 

The statement said the country will allow 60,000 vaccinated residents of the kingdom to perform the annual hajj.

The statement reads, “In the light of what the world is witnessing with the continuing developments of the pandemic Covid-19, and the emergence of new variations, Hajj 1442 will be limited to the residents and citizens from within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ONLY — (60,000),” the statement reads.

“The Total Number of pilgrims this year is limited to ONLY 60,000 people, for residents of all nationalities and citizens inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“The health status of those wishing to register for Hajj 1442 must be from the following categories: a vaccinated person, a vaccinated person who has completed one dose and spent 14 days, or a vaccinated person recovering from infection.”

The 2021 hajj pilgrimage is scheduled to hold next month.

In 2020, only 10,000 Muslims took part in the annual religious event due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This was a far cry from the 2.5 million who participated in the event in 2019.

However, according to data collected from worldometers, Saudi Arabia as of Saturday, June 12, has recorded 463,703 COVID-19 infections with 7,537 deaths and 10,112 active cases.