57,856 Bangladeshis to perform Hajj this year: State minister

State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan today (April 13, 2022) said a total of 57,856 pilgrims from Bangladesh will be allowed to perform Hajj this year after two years of gap due to Covid-19 restrictions.

"From Bangladesh, 57,856 pilgrims will be able to perform Hajj this year. This information has been given by the Government of Saudi Arabia," said the junior minister while speaking at an Iftar programme today.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia raised the number of Hajj pilgrims from inside and outside the kingdom to one million in 2022, authorities announced in a statement on April 9, reports UNB.

Hajj is open to those who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and are under the age of 65, added the statement.

Pilgrims travelling from abroad will also need to have a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before their departure for Saudi Arabia, the statement added.

Last year, only 58,745 pilgrims performed Hajj in the world because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Before the pandemic, some 2.5 million people used to travel every year to Saudi Arabia for Hajj.