Immunised pilgrims gather for Haj as Covid curbs limit numbers
July 19 2021 01:04 AM
General view of the Mina area during the annual Haj pilgrimage, in the holy city of Makkah.
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Reuters/ Makkah
Muslim pilgrims vaccinated against Covid-19 gathered yesterday for the annual Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, which has barred worshippers from abroad for a second year running due to the pandemic and has also restricted entry from inside the kingdom.
Clad in white and carrying umbrellas against the blistering summer sun, 60,000 Saudi citizens and residents are performing the rite, compared with some 2.5mn in 2019.
“I ask God to end the coronavirus, it made us very scared and made the situation very difficult,” said Palestinian pilgrim Hassan Jabari.