The annual five day Haj pilgrimage commences today in Saudi Arabia on a drastically reduced scale due to coronavirus pandemic globally. Only about 1,000 Muslims begins their journey from holy city of Mecca to assemble in Mina. 30% of them will be Saudi citizens while the remaining seventy per cent will be foreign nationals who live in Saudi Arabia.

 
They will spend the night there and move towards plains of Arafat at dawn tomorrow for the day’s main ritual of Haj-reciting prayers. Saudi authorities have put in place strict health norms to prevent spread of coronavirus during Haj pilgrimage. Around 2.5 million pilgrims including record two lakh pilgrims from India performed Haj last year.