Contrary to what had been announced, the Saudi authorities have not required an anti-Cavid vaccine for pilgrims. Is it a turnaround?
In any case, the Director at the Directorate of Hajj and Omra Samir Ben Nsib, brought clarifications this Thursday, March 4, 2021. In a declaration to the TAP agency, he said that “the Saudi authorities did not demand that the candidates for the pilgrimage of Mecca (Hajj) or the OMRA be vaccinated against the COVV-19”.
“The Saudi Minister of Health demanded that the staff ensuring the organization of the great pilgrimage to be vaccinated,” he said, adding that “the Saudi authorities have not yet requested it for pilgrims”.
The official also explained that “the Saudi authorities are currently considering several scenarios and have not yet decided on the holding or not of Hajj this year”.
Saudi Health Minister Taoufik al-Rabia called, in early March, to prepare the staff required early enough to ensure the functioning of the services related to Hajj in Mecca, Medina and all the sites concerned, stressing that the interested parties had to be vaccinated against the COVVI-19 ″.