Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Abdul-Fattah Mashat said that issuance of Hajj permit will facilitate the person to take the second dose of vaccine against coronavirus.

“When the Hajj permit is issued after completing all the procedures, the selected pilgrim, who has not completed the vaccination with two doses, will be asked to visit one of the coronavirus vaccines centers to receive the vaccine,” he said while attending a program of Al-Ekbharia channel.

Referring to the procedures of taking the second dose of the vaccine by the selected pilgrim, Dr. Mashat said the pilgrim will receive a text message informing him that he has to go to one of the vaccinated centers located near the place of residence to receive the second dose of the vaccine by using the Hajj permit, and that will enable him to get immunized with two doses of vaccine,” he said.

He noted that the second dose of vaccine is mandatory to perform Hajj. The Ministry of Hajj said earlier that vaccination is one of the basic conditions for registration while the second dose is one of the basic requirements made by the Ministry of Health for performing the annual pilgrimage.

Dr. Mashat said the ministry had started to build a technical infrastructure to receive requests for those wishing to perform this year’s Hajj rituals about two weeks ago and the process continued until Friday, June 25 (Dhul Qada 15), when the electronic portal was opened to complete Hajj reservation procedures for those who were selected initially to perform the pilgrimage.

The procedures include booking packages, paying service charges, and completing all requirements for the issuance of Hajj permits. This phase would continue until July 9 (Dhul Qada 29).

The deputy minister revealed that there was a huge turnout for registration for Hajj, especially in the early days that witnessed pressure on the ministry’s website. The total applications until the end of the deadline period reached 558,000, of which 60,000 requests are being selected from those who are qualified to perform the pilgrimage.

The final selection will be made after undergoing several health and regulatory requirements and number of finally picked pilgrims will be proportional to the available spaces in each category.

Dr. Mashat said that the final phase of the electronic track for domestic pilgrims would witness the completion of the Hajj admission procedures, as well as selection of the desired package and company for pilgrims, payment of service charges and issuance of the permit directly.

He clarified that the messages received by those qualified for Hajj are messages of candidacy and the possibility of Hajj, and they are not considered final acceptance until after meeting all the required criteria and terms and conditions. The final selection will also be based on the available spaces for all specific age groups.

“Those who wish to perform Hajj will be sorted according to health requirements, and then according to age groups. Messages began to reach those who are eligible for Hajj since Friday evening, and this is for those who are aged 50 years and above, and they will be followed by the below age groups if vacant spaces are available,” he said.

He noted that the selection procedures continue in descending order according to ages. “Over the coming days, messages will reach them, and the mechanism for other age groups will be announced via the ministry’s website and social media,” he said.

Dr. Mashat explained that whoever was selected initially to perform Hajj and completed all the procedures would be given a number to pay the value of the service, and the payment duration will be three hours.

“If the aspiring pilgrim failed to complete the registration procedures before the expiry of the deadline, his initial reservation will be canceled and the opportunity will be given to the next qualified person,” he added.