KUALA LUMPUR: Saudi Arabia is expected to introduce new criteria and higher charges to perform the haj in line with its efforts to curb the Covid-19 pandemic.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Islamic Religious Affairs) Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri said prospective pilgrims must be financially prepared to meet the new requirements.
“If Malaysia decides to allow a percentage of people to carry out the pilgrimage during the upcoming season, comprehensive SOPs will be published by the National Security Council (MKN) and the health ministry (KKM). It will be well-managed by Tabung Haji (TH).
“Aside from SOPs set by Malaysia, pilgrims must also comply with SOPs set by Saudi Arabia in their effort to curb the spread of Covid-19,” he said at a press conference.
Last Oct 18, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia agreed to set up a strategic high-level committee focusing on collaborating during the post-Covid-19 pandemic, including the haj quota for 2021.
Foreign Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the committee would be co-chaired by his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal Farhan Al Saud and himself.
Saudi Arabia is expected to ease border restrictions starting from Jan 1, 2021 to allow Muslims from other countries to carry out their haj and umrah, but with certain SOPs.
Zulkifli said it was expected that requirements for pilgrims would be made based on their health levels.
“Pilgrims must be prepared in terms of their physical and mental health.
“Get used to the new norms so that you will be able to adapt if chosen to carry out the pilgrimage next year,” he said.
He said details on the new costing would be announced by the end of January, adding that he would be visiting Saudi Arabia to discuss the issue in the near future.