Coronavirus has battered pilgrimage-reliant businesses that support hundreds of thousands of jobs. FMTNews Zero Sales Income
Workers disinfect the ground around the Kaaba in Mecca at the beginning of the outbreak in March. A stunning emptiness – and fears of economic ruin – haunt the usually bustling city of Mecca after Saudi authorities curtailed the hajj pilgrimage over coronavirus.
A construction boom in recent years has added shopping malls, apartments and luxury hotels, some offering spectacular views of the sacred Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure in the Grand Mosque towards which Muslims around the world pray.The virus, which hit Mecca hard, has also battered pilgrimage-reliant businesses that support hundreds of thousands of jobs, from travel agents to street barbers and souvenir shops.
Then, in a hugely sensitive but long-awaited decision, they said they would only allow around 1,000 pilgrims already present in the kingdom to perform the hajj.“It will be a symbolic event, a photo-op that allows the kingdom to say ‘we didn’t cancel the hajj as many expected’,” said a South Asian official in contact with hajj authorities.
“I have gone to hajj before and hopefully this year, with God’s will, I will be among the first pilgrims,” said Marwan Abdulrahman, a Saudi living in Mecca. The hajj decision “does compound Saudi Arabia’s economic difficulties”, Richard Robinson, a Middle East analyst at Oxford Analytica, told AFP. The company is seeking to charter a number of private jets to send many of its laid-off South Asian labourers home, according to the source.The downturn has also disrupted Riyadh’s ambitious plans to build a tourism industry from scratch, a cornerstone of the Vision 2030 reform programme to reduce the kingdom’s reliance on oil.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Thailand to announced more easing of lockdown on Monday (June 29); zero cases reported on June 27BANGKOK (The Nation Thailand/ANN): The government is finalising further relaxations in lockdown measures and will make the announcement on Monday, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), said on Saturday (June 27).
Read more »
Scaled-down haj compounds Saudi economic woes | New Straits TimesRIYADH: Vacant religious sites. Abandoned pilgrim tents. Lifeless hotels. A stunning emptiness – and fears of economic ruin – haunt the usually bustling city of Makkah after Saudi authorities curtailed the haj pilgrimage over Covid-19 coronavirus.
Read more »
France touts anti-jihadist wins in Africa, but experts urge caution | The Malaysian InsightDespite tactical successes, long-term impact is almost zero, says rights experts.
Read more »
Education is the key, say expertsKUALA LUMPUR: The potential for the re-emergence of Covid-19 is always there, even if the country starts recording zero cases next month, say experts.
Read more »
Thailand to announced more easing of lockdown on Monday (June 29); zero cases reported on June 27BANGKOK (The Nation Thailand/ANN): The government is finalising further relaxations in lockdown measures and will make the announcement on Monday, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), said on Saturday (June 27).
Read more »