The Saudi National Center for Disease Prevention and Control has issued special health protocols for the current Hajj season. According to the protocol, pilgrims should not be allowed to touch or kiss the Holy Kaaba and the Black Stone and they have to use packaged sterilized pebbles for the stoning ritual.
The regulations stipulated that entry to the holy sites of Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat without a Hajj permit will be prohibited effective from July 19 (Dhul Qada 28) until the end of Dhul Hijjah 12, the fifth day of the Hajj pilgrimage.
Health Controls and Protocols for Hajj 1441 Saudi Arabia
Guides and awareness signs must be placed in all areas and written in various languages including corona infection warnings, hand washing protocols, sneezing and coughing etiquette and the use of alcohol hand sanitizers.
If any pilgrims are found with symptoms of coronavirus in the midst of Hajj, they will be allowed to complete the rituals only after the assessment by a doctor, and that will be in the company of similar pilgrims.
Separate building or at least residential houses, transportation and schedule for a travel route suitable for their situation shall be assigned.
The protocols prohibited "sharing personal tools and equipment between the pilgrims, and specifying the number of people allowed to use elevators, in order to ensure the preservation of the recommended social spacing distances, and the need to use signs, so that they include a distance of one and a half meters between individuals in the escalators or the normal stairs.