COVID-19: Hajj question comes up as Saudi cases spikes

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia is expected to scale back or call off this year’s Haj pilgrimage for the first time in its modern history, observers say, as coronavirus cases spike.

Muslim nations are pressing Riyadh to give its much-delayed decision on whether the annual ritual will go ahead as scheduled in late July.

A full-scale Haj, which last year drew about 2.5 million pilgrims, appears increasingly unlikely after authorities advised Muslims in late March to defer preparations due to the fast-spreading disease.

“It’s a toss-up between holding a nominal Haj and scrapping it entirely,” a South Asian official in contact with Saudi Haj authorities told AFP.

A Saudi official told AFP: “The decision will soon be made and announced.”

Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, withdrew from the pilgrimage this month after pressing Riyadh for clarity, with a minister calling it a “very bitter and difficult decision”.

Malaysia, Senegal and Singapore followed suit with similar announcements.

Many other countries with Muslim populations - from Egypt and Morocco to Turkey, Lebanon and Bulgaria - have said they are still awaiting Riyadh’s decision.

In countries like France, faith leaders have urged Muslims to “postpone” their pilgrimage plans until next year due to the prevailing risks.

Amid an ongoing suspension of international flights, a reduced Haj with only local residents is a likely scenario, the official added.

A decision to cancel the Haj would be a first since the kingdom was founded in 1932.

Saudi Arabia managed to hold the pilgrimage during previous outbreaks of Ebola and MERS.

But with COVID-19, there is a serious spike in daily cases and deaths since authorities began easing a nationwide lockdown in late May.

In Saudi hospitals, sources say intensive care beds are fast filling up and a growing number of health workers are contracting the virus as the total number of cases has topped 130,000. Deaths surpassed 1,000 on Monday.

To counter the spike, authorities this month tightened lockdown restrictions in the city of Jeddah, gateway to the pilgrimage city of Mecca.

‘Heartbroken’

“The Haj is the most important spiritual journey in the life of any Muslim, but if Saudi Arabia proceeds in this scenario it will not only exert pressure on its own health system,” said Yasmine Farouk from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“It could also be widely held responsible for fanning the pandemic.”

A cancelled or watered-down Haj would represent a major loss of revenue for the kingdom.

The smaller year-round umrah pilgrimage was already suspended in March.

Together, they add $12 billion to the Saudi economy every year, according to government figures.

A negative decision would likely disappoint millions of Muslim pilgrims around the world who often invest their life savings and endure long waiting lists to make the trip.

“I can’t help but be heartbroken - I’ve been waiting for years,” Indonesian civil servant Ria Taurisnawati, 37, told AFP as she sobbed.

“All my preparations were done, the clothes were ready and I got the necessary vaccination. But God has another plan.”