Hundreds of Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, as they observe social distancing to protect themselves against the coronavirus, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, July 29, 2020 .
In a photo that is going viral on the internet, pilgrims can be seen maintaining social distancing on the site.
- Trending Desk
- Last Updated: July 31, 2020, 12:53 PM IST
The novel coronavirus pandemic has impacted the holy Hajj pilgrimage this year and only the people within Saudi Arabia have been allowed to perform the annual pilgrimage.
According to a report published in Al Jazeera, around two and a half million people annually visit Mecca and Medina. However, this year the number has been reduced to a mere 10,000.
In a photo that is going viral on the internet, pilgrims can be seen maintaining social distancing on the site. They are holding colourful umbrellas while circling around the Kaba.
Unbelievable scenes from Mecca today! Historic Hajj amid the threat of coronavirus. @AFP has amazing colorful photos on a very, very sunny day! pic.twitter.com/0RvTVwGWtd
— Mohamad Ali Harissi (@aleeharissi) July 29, 2020
The report also mentions that people were allowed to circle around the Kaba only in small groups of 50. Each of them was wearing a mask and was from a safe distance from one another. Furthermore, a health professional was constantly monitoring their movements.
Apart from these measures, a total of 35,00 workers have been spread across the Grand Mosque to sanitise it. Everyday, sanitisation is done using 54,000 litres of disinfectant and 1,050 litres of air fresheners. Further, instead of cleaning the floor thrice in a day it is now being cleaned 10 times in a day.
The holy pilgrimage of Hajj began on July 28 and will go on till August 2, this year. Hajj happens in the holiest month of the Islamic calendar known as Dhu al-Hijjah.