Hajj 2023 numbers to hit pre-pandemic levels as all Covid restrictions lifted

Before the Covid-19 pandemic about 2.3 million people attended Hajj each year

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  Pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba in Makkah. AP

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  Hajj pilgrims at the Grand Mosque. AP

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  Muslims take part in Hajj rituals at the Kaaba in Makkah. AP

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  Reporters fly over the Grand Mosque. AP

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  Hundreds of buses wait to carry pilgrims. AP

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  A satellite image shows pilgrims circumambulating the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque. SPA

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  Pilgrims on the first day of Tashreeq throw the three Jamarat, beginning with Jamarat al-Soghra, then al-Wusta, and then Jamrat al-Aqaba. SPA

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  Pilgrims on the first day of Tashreeq throw the three Jamarat, beginning with Jamarat al-Soghra, then al-Wusta, and then Jamrat al-Aqaba. SPA

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  Pilgrims on the first day of Tashreeq throw the three Jamarat, beginning with Jamarat al-Soghra, then al-Wusta, and then Jamrat al-Aqaba. SPA

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  Pilgrims on the first day of Tashreeq throw the three Jamarat, beginning with Jamarat al-Soghra, then al-Wusta, and then Jamrat al-Aqaba. SPA

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  Pilgrims walk to cast stones at a pillar in the symbolic stoning of the devil in Mina, Saudi Arabia. AP Photo

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  Pilgrims walk before casting their stones. Reuters

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  Pilgrims cast their stones. Reuters

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  Pilgrims cast their stones. Reuters

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  Pilgrims cast their stones. Reuters

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  Pilgrims walk to cast their stones. Reuters

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  Hajj pilgrims collect pebbles for the stoning of the devil ritual in Muzdalifa, Saudi Arabia. EPA

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  Pilgrims collect pebbles. EPA

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  Pilgrims cast stones. AP

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  Pilgrims cast stones. AP

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  Pilgrims gather atop Mount Arafat during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage. AFP

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  Pilgrims pray as they gather at Mount Arafat. EPA

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  Saudi Arabia this year is allowing one million Muslims, including some 850,000 from abroad, to make the annual Hajj pilgrimage for the first time in two years. EPA

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  A Saudi police helicopter patrols over Namira Mosque in Arafat. AP Photo

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  Pilgrims gather on the plain of Arafat. Reuters

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  Pilgrims arrive on the plains of Mount Arafat. EPA

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  Pilgrims climb Gebel Rahmah (Mount of Mercy) where the Prophet Mohammed gave his last sermon, as people congregate on the plains of Arafat. EPA

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  Pilgrims gather atop Mount Arafat during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage. AFP

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  A Muslim woman prays atop Mount Arafat. AFP

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  Muslim pilgrims touch the pillar atop Mount Arafat. AFP

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  Pilgrims gather to pray atop Mount Arafat. AFP

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  Pilgrims walk towards the Namirah mosque near Mount Arafat. AFP

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  Muslim pilgrims pray on the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy. AP Photo

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  Muslim pilgrims gather on Mount of Mercy. Reuters

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  Pilgrims pray on the Mountain of Mercy. AP

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  Pilgrims gather on Mount of Mercy. Reuters

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  Muslim pilgrims gather on Mount of Mercy. Reuters

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  Hajj pilgrims head to Mina for the day of Tarwiyah as temperatures hit 44ºC. SPA

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  Pilgrims pray at the Kaaba in Makkah's Grand Mosque on the eve of the first day of Hajj. SPA

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  Hajj pilgrims head to Mina for the day of Tarwiyah as temperatures hit 44ºC. SPA

Saudi Arabia will remove Covid-19 restrictions for Hajj this year and welcome back pre-pandemic numbers of pilgrims, the kingdom's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said on Monday.

The number of pilgrims has been limited since the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, and even as the kingdom opened back up after successive lockdowns, age restrictions were put in place.

“The number of Hajj pilgrims … will return to how it was before the coronavirus pandemic without age restrictions,” the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr Tawfiq Al Rabiah, told the Hajj Expo.

The expo is bringing together service providers for the Hajj season, which is due to begin in on June 26.

Access was restricted in 2022 to pilgrims aged 18 to 65 who have been fully vaccinated or immunised against the coronavirus and did not suffer from chronic diseases. In 2020, numbers were limited to just 1,000 pilgrims from inside the kingdom, but last year, one million foreign pilgrims were welcomed.

The cost of medical insurance for Hajj has also dropped by more than 60 per cent to 88 riyals ($23) a person, Dr Al Rabiah said.

Earlier on Monday, Saudi authorities said those who had never performed Hajj would be given priority for the 2023 pilgrimage.

Meanwhile, Umrah visas have been extended from 30 to 90 days to allow pilgrims the chance to explore the kingdom after 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.”