Saudi
Arabia has asked Muslims to wait until there is more clarity about the
coronavirus pandemic before planning to attend the annual Hajj pilgrimage, the
Minister for Hajj and Umrah said on state TV on Tuesday.
Earlier
this month, Saudi Arabia suspended the year-round Umrah pilgrimage over fears
of the new coronavirus spreading to Islam’s holiest cities, an unprecedented
move that raised uncertainty over the annual Hajj.
Some
2.5 million pilgrims from around the world usually flock to Mecca and Medina
cities for the week-long ritual scheduled to begin in late July. The pilgrimage
is also a significant source of income for the kingdom.
“Saudi
Arabia is fully ready to serve pilgrims and Umrah seekers,” Minister Mohammed
Saleh Benten told the state-run Al-Ekhbariya television.
“But
under the current circumstances, as we are talking about the global pandemic...
the kingdom is keen to protect the health of Muslims and citizens and so we
have asked our brother Muslims in all countries to wait before doing [Hajj]
contracts until the situation is clear.”
Besides
suspending Umrah pilgrimage, Saudi Arabia has also halted all international
passenger flights indefinitely and last week blocked entry and exit to several
cities, including Mecca and Medina.
Pilgrimage
is big business for Saudi Arabia and the backbone of plans to expand visitor
numbers under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious economic reform
agenda.
Cancelling
the Hajj would be unprecedented in modern times, but curbing attendance from
high-risk areas has happened before, including in recent years during the Ebola
outbreak.
To
date, the kingdom has reported just over 1,500 confirmed coronavirus cases and
10 deaths. Globally, more than 825,000 people have been infected with over
40,000 deaths recorded.
Previous
epidemics
Disease
outbreaks have regularly been a concern surrounding the Hajj, required of all
able-bodied Muslims once in their life, especially as pilgrims come from all
over the world.
The
earliest recorded outbreak came in 632 as pilgrims fought off malaria. A
cholera outbreak in 1821 killed an estimated 20,000 pilgrims. Another cholera
outbreak in 1865 killed 15,000 pilgrims and then spread worldwide.
More
recently, Saudi Arabia faced danger from a related coronavirus that caused
Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). A faltering response allowed the virus
to kill several hundred people and spread across the region.
The
kingdom increased its public health measures in 2012 and 2013, though no
outbreak occurred.
