Saudi Arabia announces haj health measures for domestic pilgrims

STR / AFP

Saudi Arabia has issued health protocols for this year's upcoming Hajj pilgrimage.

The kingdom's Center for Disease Prevention and Control has put these restrictions in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus. 

Face masks will be mandatory, while gatherings and meetings between pilgrims will not be allowed to ensure social distancing guidelines are maintained.

Pilgrims will be banned from touching the Kaaba, while access to holy haj sites at Mona, Muzdalifah and Arafat will be limited to those with haj permits.

In June, the Kingdom announced the decision to limit the number of domestic pilgrims to around 1,000 and ban access to Muslims abroad.

More from International

  • US prosecutors to seek death penalty for Luigi Mangione

    U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting and killing the CEO of UnitedHealth Group's insurance division Brian Thompson in New York last year.

  • UN warns window to find Myanmar quake survivors closing

    Aid groups in Myanmar on Tuesday described scenes of devastation and desperation after an earthquake that killed more than 2,700 people, stressing an urgent need for food, water and shelter and warning the window to find survivors was fast closing.

  • Trump administration begins mass layoffs at health agencies

    The Trump administration has fired staff at U.S. health agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health, as it embarked on its plan to cut 10,000 health jobs, according to sources familiar with the situation and a health official.

  • Israel says it 'eliminated' Hezbollah operative in Beirut strike

    The Israeli military said it killed a Hezbollah operative in an airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs early on Tuesday, while three other people were reported killed and seven injured, further testing a shaky four-month ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

  • Le Pen's party chief calls on French people to rally against election ban

    Far-right party chief Jordan Bardella called on the French to rally this weekend to protest against a ruling that banned Marine Le Pen from running for public office for five years after being found guilty of embezzling European Union funds.