Travel

Hajj Pilgrimage In the Age Of Coronavirus Is Unlike Any Before

Saudi Arabia radically downsizes annual Islamic pilgrimage
Pandemic means socially distanced prayers, bottled holy water

Social distancing markers surround the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, at the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, ahead of the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage, on July 28.
Photographer: AFP via Getty Images

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July 28, 2020 at 11:00 PM EDT

Holy water will be consumed from single-use bottles. Pilgrims will get sterilized pebbles to throw at pillars symbolizing the devil. And instead of jostling shoulder to shoulder, worshipers will circle Mecca’s grand mosque with 1.5 meters of space between them.

This year, Islam’s annual hajj pilgrimage — which starts on Wednesday — will be unlike any other.

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