Pilgrims Arrive In Mecca For Second Pandemic Hajj

Saudi Arabia is allowing only 60,000 fully vaccinated residents to take part, seeking to repeat last year's success that saw no virus outbreak during the five-day ritual.

Pilgrims began arriving in the holy city of Mecca on Saturday for the second downsized hajj staged during the coronavirus pandemic, circling Islam's holiest site in masks and on distanced paths. The kingdom is allowing only 60,000 fully vaccinated residents to take part, seeking to repeat last year's success that saw no virus outbreak during the five-day ritual. This year's hajj, with participants chosen through a lottery, is larger than the pared-down version staged in 2020 but drastically smaller than in normal times, stoking resentment among Muslims abroad who are barred once again. After being loaded on buses and brought to Mecca's Grand Mosque, pilgrims began performing the "tawaf", the circumambulation of the Kaaba, a large cubic structure draped in golden-embroidered black cloth, towards which Muslims around the world pray.