Minister to go to Saudi Arabia to get details on SOP for haj pilgrimage

ALOR SETAR: Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri is scheduled to go to Saudi Arabia soon to get details on the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the coming season haj pilgrimage.

He said the government would decide on the sending of Malaysians for the haj pilgrimage after getting the details on the SOP.

"I'll be going there in about a week or two to find out details on the SOP for the haj pilgrimage," he told reporters after launching a fund by the Kedah Islamic Foundation here today.

Last year, the Saudi Arabian government announced various conditions for pilgrims to perform the haj, including the number to not exceed 10,000 people and that they would be screened before arriving in Makkah and Madinah.

Its Health Minister, Dr Tawfiq al-Rabiah, was also reported to have said that COVID-19 vaccination was mandatory, and it was part of the main conditions for all pilgrims who would perform the haj pilgrimage in July.

On the COVID-19 vaccination for those going for the haj pilgrimage this year, Zulkifli said the matter would be worked out with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and the Ministry of Health (MOH).

-- BERNAMA