WHO Welcomes Saudi Arabia's Decision to Limit Hajj Pilgrims in 2020

WHO Director General, Tedros Adhanom

The World Health Organisation warmly welcomed Saudi Arabia’s new decision to limit the number of Hajj pilgrims this year due to corona virus.

The Kingdom said, just 1000 people, who are already living in Saudi Arabia would be able to perform the pilgrimage this year.

 

Last year almost 2.5 million worshiped from around the world took part this great holy pilgrimage.

“As some countries start to reopen their societies and economies, the question about how to hold gatherings of large number of people safely have become increasingly important,” WHO Director General, Tedros Adhanom said. “This is especially true of the world ‘s largest mass gatherings, the annual Hajj pilgrimage.”

Adhanom said that the new decision is following the risk of pandemic and an analysis of various scenarios, in accordance with the organisation's guidelines to protect the safety of pilgrims and reduce the risk of infection.