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Saudi Arabia on Saturday introduced that it’s going to permit as much as 1 million folks be a part of the hajj pilgrimage this yr.
The Hajj Ministry “has approved a million pilgrims, each overseas and home, to carry out the hajj this yr,” it stated in a press release.
Saudi authorities had drastically restricted the variety of folks allowed to hitch the pilgrimage after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2020, only one,000 pilgrims had been permitted to take part. And final yr, that quantity was raised to 60,000.
This yr’s hajj will happen in July. The ministry’s announcement on Saturday stated that the pilgrimage will probably be restricted to totally vaccinated folks underneath age 65.
These coming from exterior Saudi Arabia will probably be required to submit a damaging COVID-19 PCR outcome from a check taken inside 72 hours of journey.
The federal government desires to advertise pilgrims’ security “whereas making certain that the utmost variety of Muslims worldwide can carry out the hajj,” the assertion stated.
Listed below are the most recent main developments on coronavirus from world wide:
Asia
In China, the southern megacity of Guangzhou — house to over 18 million folks — stated it will start COVID testing in all 11 of its districts, after coronavirus infections had been reported there.
Shanghai, in the meantime, continues to grapple with the virus outbreak, with authorities reporting a report 23,600 new circumstances on Saturday.
The town’s vice mayor admitted to shortcomings within the metropolis’s dealing with of the well being emergency.
“We really feel the identical approach concerning the issues everybody has raised and voiced,” Deputy Mayor Zong Ming informed a every day briefing. “Numerous our work has not been sufficient, and there is nonetheless an enormous hole from everybody’s expectations. We are going to do our greatest to enhance.”
The town’s lockdown, affecting 26 million folks, confirmed no signal of easing because the Chinese language authorities doubles down on its “zero-COVID” coverage, which emphasizes virus elimination primarily based on testing, tracing and quarantining all optimistic circumstances and their shut contacts.
In the meantime, the US has suggested Individuals towards touring to China because of the powerful restrictions in place there. Washington has additionally approved the “voluntary departure” of non-essential employees from its consulate in Shanghai.
The households of all US personnel are additionally allowed to depart, the State Division stated in a press release.
The company warned US residents towards touring to Shanghai “attributable to COVID-19 associated restrictions, together with the danger of fogeys and youngsters being separated.”
Europe
In Germany, the nationwide 7-day incidence price has dropped to its lowest stage for the reason that finish of January. The Robert Koch Institute public well being company stated on Saturday that the determine — which represents the variety of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants over per week — was right down to 1,141.8. Per week in the past, it stood at 1,531.5.
The nation recorded 150,675 new COVID infections over the previous 24 hours.
Regardless of the falling variety of new circumstances, hospitals and medical employees proceed to stay underneath huge stress, stated the Affiliation of Senior Hospital Physicians.
Michael Weber, the pinnacle of the affiliation, informed the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung on Saturday that scheduled surgical procedures are having to be postponed in 60% of German hospitals. He added that in 3 out of each 10 hospitals sufferers are being transferred to different clinics attributable to scarcity of capability.
sri/fb (AFP, Reuters, AP)
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