Pilgrims arriving in Saudi Arabia to worship Islamic holy sites in Mecca will have to undergo quarantine.
According to Rushan Abbyasov, Deputy Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia and Mufti of the Moscow Region, believers will need to observe self-isolation at a hotel.
«Upon arrival, a pilgrim must undergo a three-day quarantine at a hotel, so it is necessary to book a room for three days and order three meals a day. After 48 hours, a PCR test will be taken; the third day is to receive the test result. If it is negative, one may perform the pilgrimage,» Abbyasov clarified.
In addition, all believers need to take a PCR test and download a special application in order to select the exact time for visiting the Sacred Mosque and register for Umrah.
«Three hours are allotted for the ritual; one can choose a time. If too many pilgrims have registered for a certain period, they will be offered to choose another time,» the mufti explained.
He also added that for now the ritual can be performed comfortably within one day, since there are not that many people in Mecca.
A Muslim in a protective mask prays during the Hajj — Sputnik Tajikistan, 1920, 05.12.2021
Saudi Arabia has allowed Hajj for those vaccinated with the Sputnik V vaccine«
It should be noted that the authorities of Saudi Arabia have allowed entry to Mecca and Medina from January 1, 2022, for those vaccinated with two doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.
At the same time, pilgrims will have to take a PCR test and undergo a 48-hour quarantine.
But for now there are no regular flights from Russia to Saudi Arabia. Earlier, Abbyasov also stated that charters and flights through third countries would be organized. As for the price of the trip, a regular ten-day tour will cost from 1,500 dollars.
Let us recall that the Hajj — the pilgrimage to the Islamic holy sites in Mecca in Saudi Arabia — can be performed only in the month dedicated to it, Dhu al-Hijjah, or the «month of pilgrimage.» In 2022, according to the lunar calendar, it begins in July.
But at the same time, believers may visit Mecca at any other time of the year.