Pilgrims from Bangladesh will not be able to attend Hajj this time too

For the second consecutive year during the coronavirus pandemic, Saudi Arabia is not allowing pilgrims from abroad to attend Hajj. As a result, pilgrims from Bangladesh will not be able to perform Hajj this time too.

In a report published by Arab News on Saturday, it was said that the Saudi government this year, due to coronavirus restrictions, was limiting Hajj to its citizens and those residing in the country. A total of 60,000 persons will be able to perform Hajj this year.

Prior to the pandemic, over 2.5 million (25 lakh) people would gather at Saudi Arabia's holy cities, Makkah and Madinah, every year for a week to perform Hajj. This would bring in an annual of revenue of USD 12 billion (USD 1,200 crore) for the Saudi government.

Saudi prince Mohammad Bin Salman had planned to increase the number of Umrah and Hajj pilgrims to 20 million (2 crore) by the year 2020 as part of his economic reform plans. By 2020 this was to be increased to 30 million (3 crore).

According to this plan, by 2020 Saudi Arabia would be earning 50 billion riyals (13.32 billion dollars) annually from the year 2030.