Jakarta (ANTARA) - As many as 25,929 Indonesian Hajj pilgrims have departed for Saudi Arabia to participate in the 2022 Hajj pilgrimage, according to the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

On Tuesday, 2,809 Hajj pilgrims were scheduled to depart in seven batches from five embarkation points, spokesperson of the ministry's hajj organizing committee (PPIH) in Saudi Arabia, Akhmad Fauzin, stated while delivering a press statement here on Tuesday.

Fauzin elaborated that the seven batches included two batches of 786 pilgrims from the Jakarta-Pondok Gede embarkation point, two batches of 820 pilgrims from the Jakarta-Bekasi embarkation point, one batch of 360 pilgrims from the Banjarmasin embarkation point, one batch of 393 pilgrims from the Medan embarkation point, and one batch of 450 pilgrims from the Surabaya embarkation point.

Fauzin remarked that 49 Indonesian Hajj pilgrims had, so far, reported sick. Of the 49 pilgrims, 43 people had to receive outpatient care, while the other six people were treated at the Indonesian Hajj Health Clinic (KKHI) in Medina.

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He further noted that three Indonesian Hajj pilgrims had died.

In Mecca, hotels that accommodate Indonesian Hajj pilgrims are spread across five areas: Misfalah, Mahbas Jin, Jarwal, Raudhah, and Syisyah.

All accommodations have bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, dining rooms, prayer rooms, washing machines, and places to dry clothes, he remarked.

The spokesperson noted that the quality of accommodations for Indonesian pilgrims is equivalent to a three-star hotel.

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This year, Saudi Arabia has allowed one million pilgrims from various countries to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. Indonesia has been allotted a quota of 100,051 people for the pilgrimage.

Although it has given permission for foreign pilgrims to perform Hajj, Saudi Arabia has laid down two conditions for them this year. First, pilgrims must not be older than 65 years and must have received the full dose of any COVID-19 vaccine approved by the Saudi Health Ministry.

Second, pilgrims traveling from abroad must have a certificate showing a negative PCR result, with the test taken no more than 72 hours prior to departure.


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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Raka Adji
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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