Saudi Arabia receives 1st foreign Hajj pilgrims since COVID began

This year, one million pilgrims will be allowed compared with 60,000 vaccinated citizens or residents of Saudi Arabia last year [File: AFP]

A group of Hajj pilgrims from Indonesia has landed in the city of Medina from where they will be travelling to the holy city of Mecca, marking the arrival of the first batch of pilgrims from outside the kingdom after two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to state media.

Saudi Arabia last month announced it would allow one million people – from both inside and outside the kingdom – to perform the Hajj which will take place in July compared with about 60,000 last year and less than 1,000 in 2020.