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Saudi Arabia has announced the lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions on Hajj for the first time in three years. According to the Kingdom’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, this year’s annual pilgrimage—which is due to begin on June 26—will go ahead as per pre-pandemic rules. This means no limit will be imposed on the number and age of pilgrims—a restriction first applied in 2020 to curb the outbreak of Covid-19 and kept in place even after Saudi opened back up. During this time, pilgrims had to be between 18 to 65 years of age, fully vaccinated, and not suffering from any chronic diseases.
“Number of Hajj pilgrims in 1444H will return to how it was before the Coronavirus pandemic without age restrictions,” stated Dr Tawfiq Al Rabiah, minister of Hajj and Umrah. He added that the cost of medical insurance for Hajj has been reduced by more than 60% to 88 SAR per person. Saudi authorities have also said that those who have never performed Hajj will be prioritized for the 2023 pilgrimage.
As for Umrah, the visas have been extended from 30 to 90 days, which allows pilgrims to explore more of the Kingdom after performing the rituals. “Any visitor to the Kingdom with any type of visa can perform the Umrah and visit Madinah,” Dr Al Rabiah said. “We worked with partners to enrich the cultural experience after performing the rituals and developing and activating Islamic historical sites related to the Prophet’s biography.”
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