Scaled-down hajj began on Wednesday amid COVID-19 pandemic
- 4 years ago
사우디 메카서 '마스크 성지순례' 시작…참가자 250만→1천 명
The annual Hajj has begun in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, but unlike last year's that drew more than two and a half million people, it is dramatically scaled back due the COVID-19 pandemic.
Small groups of pilgrims, circled the cube-shaped structure Kaaba in the first rituals of the hajj, wearing face masks and maintaining social distance.
This year, the Saudi government has banned pilgrims from outside the Kingdom, and selected around one thousand people already residing in Saudi Arabia to take part in the hajj.
Seven hundred out of them were from among foreign residents in Saudi Arabia.
Pilgrims were tested for COVID-19 in advance, and they will also be required to quarantine after the five days of worship ends on Sunday.
The annual Hajj has begun in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, but unlike last year's that drew more than two and a half million people, it is dramatically scaled back due the COVID-19 pandemic.
Small groups of pilgrims, circled the cube-shaped structure Kaaba in the first rituals of the hajj, wearing face masks and maintaining social distance.
This year, the Saudi government has banned pilgrims from outside the Kingdom, and selected around one thousand people already residing in Saudi Arabia to take part in the hajj.
Seven hundred out of them were from among foreign residents in Saudi Arabia.
Pilgrims were tested for COVID-19 in advance, and they will also be required to quarantine after the five days of worship ends on Sunday.