"There are currently 327 Indonesian citizens who have become pilgrims this year. They are Indonesian citizens who have been living in Saudi Arabia and have registered as prospective pilgrims, according to the procedures imposed by Saudi Arabia," said Consul for Hajj, Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Jeddah, Endang Jumali, in a written statement received here on Friday.
The registered Indonesian pilgrims comprise several diplomats from the Indonesian embassy and Consulate General, migrant workers, as well as students, and a number of other citizens who have resided in Saudi Arabia for a long time, Jumali informed.
"The data collection process for Indonesian citizens who are on pilgrimage this year is still being carried out. Data on the number of pilgrims will continue to grow. Perhaps the latest data will be obtained when they are wukuf in Arafah or stay at Mina. So, it is still possible (for the pilgrim numbers) to continue to grow,” he said.
The government of Saudi Arabia has banned pilgrims from other countries from performing the Hajj in the 2020 and 2021 Hajj season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year, Saudi Arabia will begin the 1442 H pilgrimage on Saturday, July 17, 2021, with the Hajj quota limited to just 60 thousand pilgrims, which will specifically apply to Saudi citizens and expatriates who have settled in the country, Jumali said. They have been chosen from more than 500 thousand prospective pilgrims who registered for Hajj, he added.
The Saudi Ministry of Hajj has said that only people in the 18-65 age group who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and are free from chronic disease will be allowed to join the pilgrimage.
The vaccines approved for the pilgrims are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, it added.
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Translator: Desi Purnamawati, Katriana
Editor: Suharto
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