Saudi Government issues new set of guidelines to perform the Hajj pilgrimage
Dubai: Saudi Arabia has issued guidelines for the 10,000 or so pilgrims that will be allowed to perform the hajj pilgrimage in Mecca later this month, an experience that will be unlike any before because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The pilgrims will only be able to drink holy water from the Zamzam well in Mecca that is packaged in plastic bottles, and pebbles for casting away evil that are usually picked up by pilgrims along hajj routes will be sterilised and bagged ahead of time. Pilgrims will also have to bring their own prayer rugs.
The guidelines were announced on Monday as Saudi authorities prepare to carry out a very limited hajj, which for the first time will not include pilgrims from outside the country.
Instead, the kingdom said that 70 percent of pilgrims allowed to participate this year will be from among foreign residents of Saudi Arabia while 30 percent would be Saudi citizens.
Saudi pilgrims will be selected from among healthcare workers and security personnel who have recovered from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. The government said their selection represents a token of appreciation for their role in providing care" during the pandemic.
Saudi Arabia has one of the Middle East's largest outbreaks of the virus, with infection rates rising by 3,000-4,000 cases daily. More than 213,000 people have contracted the virus in the kingdom so far, including 1,968 who have died.
The new guidelines also mandate that foreign residents in Saudi Arabia who want to participate in this year's pilgrimage should be between the ages of 20 and 50, and that have not performed the hajj before.
The pilgrims will have to quarantine before and after the hajj, and they will be tested for the coronavirus. Those eligible have until Friday to submit an application through the kingdom's Hajj Ministry's website.
The hajj is not only a once-in-a-lifetime requirement for Muslims but also a chance to wipe away past sins and connect with Muslims from different walks of life.
Saudi Arabia dramatically scaled back the hajj due to concerns about overcrowding at the annual pilgrimage, which usually draws 2.5 million people. The crowds move, pray and stand in extremely close proximity, often squeezed shoulder-to-shoulder, as they carry out five days of rites around Mecca.
Saudi Arabia said its decision to curtail the hajj was aimed at preserving global public health because of the risks associated with large gatherings.
Pilgrims normally crowd and push their way toward the cube-shaped Kaaba, which is Islam's holiest site and the metaphorical house of God. This year, authorities said anyone participating in the hajj will not be allowed to touch the Kaaba as part of the new safety measures.
Pilgrims this year will also have to wear masks, maintain physical distance during prayers and sleep in tents that follow guidelines on social distancing.
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Mother arrested for killing five-month-old child in Tripura
Agartala (PTI): Tripura Police has arrested a woman for allegedly killing her five-month-old child in Sepahijala district, officials said on Monday.
Initial investigation revealed that Suchitra Debbarma (28) killed her infant to pave the way for her plan to elope with a man she had been in a relationship with for a year.
After receiving information from Suchitra's neighbours, a police team headed by officer-in-charge of Sonamura police station Tapas Das went to their house at Rampadapara on Sunday.
"We found the baby lying on a bed while her mother was missing. We took the child to Sonamura sub-divisional hospital, where doctors declared the baby dead. Post-mortem will be conducted soon," he said.
According to Das, Suchitra was later arrested from the village.
"Prima facie, it appeared that Suchitra strangled her child to death when her husband, Amit Debbarma, went out for work at a rubber plantation. During interrogation, she admitted that she wanted to kill the baby and elope with another man with whom she had an extramarital affair," he said.
