The Interior Ministry of Saudi Arabia has announced that it will be imposing a fine of 10,000 Saudi riyals (roughly equivalent to $2,500) on anyone found entering the holy sites in Mecca without a permit, The Guardian reports.
The Hajj season begins on Tuesday July 28 and continues through Sunday August 2 this year. Only Muslims living in Saudi Arabia will be permitted to make the traditional pilgrimage, and even their numbers will be limited to a few thousand, as opposed to the 2.5 million who usually attend. Those over the age of 65 will be banned from Mecca, and pilgrims will be quarantined before and after their journeys.
Saudi Arabia recorded and additional 42 virus deaths and 2,779 confirmed cases today.