Hajj 2020: Pilgrims begin downsized Hajj today amid global pandemic

Muslim pilgrims on Wednesday have begun the annual Hajj that has been dramatically downsized this year due to coronavirus pandemic.

Read More : Hajj 2020: Limited scale Hajj to start from July 29, Saudi Officials

Usually, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings of five-day pilgrimage has been drastically scaled down by the Saudi government to strive to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.

For this year’s Hajj pilgrims will be required to wear masks and observe social distancing.

Pilgrims selected to take part in the hajj were subject to temperature checks and placed in quarantine as they began to arrive in Mecca at the weekend.

“There are no security-related concerns in this pilgrimage, but (downsizing) is to protect pilgrims from the danger of the pandemic,” said Khalid bin Qarar Al-Harbi, Saudi Arabia’s director of public security.

This year only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom will participate in the ritual, a tiny fraction of the 2.5 million pilgrims from around the world that attended last year.