Saudi Hajj coronavirus curbs mean 'no work, no salary, nothing'
Only those already living in the country will be allowed to perform the Hajj - taking the number down to just 1,000.Pilgrims will not be able to freely drink from the holy Well of Zamzam, the water will all have to be bottled individually. And when it comes to the stoning of the three pillars in Mina, symbolising the rejection of the devil, the pebbles will have to be sterilised.
On average, his members export 5,000 head of cattle to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, he says."Farmers are now diversifying in to cold storage and local markets. The shock of a sudden withdrawal of an age-old source of income is also leaving many tour companies struggling. "We had to downsize our staff to minimal numbers. Time has now forced us to sell our assets, cars and some property, to just get through this stage at least. I help out some of my team with emergency funds, but that's all I can offer for now."
"The government announced in March 2020 it would postpone collection of various government fees, as well as Value Added Tax, for three months. [But] this is not going to avert a recession in the non-oil sector of the economy - we think it will contract by about 4%," he says.In Mecca, despite the empty bookings screen in front of him, Sajjad Malik does not want to return to his native Pakistan.
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