Cairo: Saudi Arabia is all set for the Kuwait quota for 2022 Hajj at 3,622 pilgrims, down from the pre-pandemic 8,000 pilgrims, reported by the Kuwait newspaper.

Last month, Saudi Arabia’s government gave a statement in which they mentioned that they would allow at least 1 million pilgrims from inside or outside the kingdom so that they can also perform Hajj this year after restricting the annual ritual to some thousands of Muslims living inside the country for the last two years due to COVID-19 outbreak.

It is estimated that nearly 2.5 million Muslims around the whole world used to attend Hajj in Saudi Arabia this year, as well as every year before the pandemic.

According to the government and private sources stated that the number of pilgrims allowed from Kuwait for this year has been reduced after Saudi Arabia has set the overall number of pilgrims at 1 million only.

However, no immediate official comment has been reported in Kuwait or Saudi Arabia on the report.

Moreover, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Awqaf will be going to coordinate with operators of Hajj trips in the country to control prices, and it is expected to increase due to the downsized number of pilgrims to allow limited-income people to get access to Hajj offered at low prices with quality services, the sources added.

Eligible pilgrims this year must be under 65, fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and present a negative PCR test, Saudi authorities have said.

Last month, the ministry of Hajj launched a new app for pilgrims, making their lives more accessible, and through this app, they can directly apply for visas to enter Saudi Arabia. It is also now available in the UK.

The ‘Saudi Visa Bio app’ allows applicants to register their biometric data before travelling directly and saves them from visiting visa issuance centres. On their arrival, they have to just arrive in the kingdom, and they just have to match their data with the information stored on the app, which speeds up the broader control process.