Maldives Hajj Corporation has requested individuals who have been invited to perform this year’s Hajj pilgrimage to inform the corporation within one day if they wish to decline the invitation for this year.
The Maldives has received 453 quotas for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, all of which were issued to Hajj Corporation. 353 of these quotas were assigned to individuals who were already on the waitlist of Hajj Corporation, while the remaining 100 slots were opened for application.
In an announcement issued on May 30, the Hajj Corporation said all individuals who have received the Hajj invitation must provide response through the Hajj Offer Letter by May 31. The corporation said individuals who wish to decline their invitiation for this year will have their slot moved forward to next year.
Furthermore, the Hajj Corporation said if any of the 100 individuals selected from the open slots this year are unable to go on the pilgrimage for any reason, their slots will be given to the next in line at the waiting list. The corporation also noted individuals who fail to complete their payment within the given deadline will lose their slots.
Due to the limits placed by the Saudi government, the Maldives has received fewer Hajj quotas than before. As such, the 453 quotas received this year is a significant decrease from the 1,000 quotas the Maldives used to receive prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Saudi government has announced that one million people will be allowed in the country to perform the Hajj pilgrimage this year, following the removal of COVID-19 restrictions. This is less than half of the 2.5 million people that were previously allowed to enter Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As per the announcement of the Saudi government, only individuals below the age of 65 who have completed the full dosage of the COVID-19 vaccine will be allowed to enter Saudi Arabia for Hajj this year. Pilgrims entering the country are also required to present a negative PCR test upon arrival.
This year’s Hajj pilgrimage will begin on July 7.