COVID-19: Hajj Board urges Muslims to get vaccinated

The Ghana Hajj Board has urged all Muslims and prospective pilgrims to get the COVID-19 jab in preparation for next year's holy pilgrimage.

Addressing a press briefing last Saturday in Accra (August 21, 2022), the Chairman of the Hajj Board, Sheikh Ibrahim Cudjoe (I.C.) Quaye also entreated all Muslims to disregard fake news reports which suggested that special vaccines would be made exclusively available for only Hajj pilgrims.

"It has come to the attention of the Hajj Board that certain individuals are propagating a fallacy about a special dispensation that COVID-19 vaccines would be made exclusively available for Ghanaian Muslims and pilgrims," Sheikh I.C. Quaye said.

"This is not true in any shape or form... We (the Hajj Board) want all Ghanaians including Muslims and Christians to take the necessary steps to receive the COVID-19 vaccines when it becomes available in their towns, villages and communities".

Saudi decision

The call follows an August 8, 2021, decision by the Government of Saudi Arabia to begin receiving pilgrimage requests from vaccinated foreign worshippers starting on August 9.

That announcement came about 18 months after Saudi Arabia closed its borders to foreign pilgrims due to the coronavirus pandemic, denying pilgrims from Ghana the opportunity to embark on the Hajj for the second year in a row.

The Hajj took place in July this year and last year, though it was only open to a limited number of domestic worshippers.

Altogether, Saudi Arabia has registered nearly 532,000 coronavirus cases and more than 8,300 deaths.

Vaccination is mandatory for anyone seeking to enter government and private establishments, including educational institutions and entertainment venues, as well as to use public transport.

Endorsement

Sheikh I.C. Quaye said the Ghana Hajj Board fully endorses the new directive from the Saudi government because they are designed for the well-being of all pilgrims.

He also commended the government of Ghana for its efforts and successes in the acquisition and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for the benefit of all Ghanaians.

"The Hajj Board, therefore, without any equivocation, fully endorses the new directives for obtaining a visa to perform Hajj and Umrah, as communicated by the Saudi Government," he said.

"The well-being of the whole Ghanaian society, and indeed the world, must be our main motivation in our endeavour to participate in Hajj 2022".

Next Hajj

Sheikh I.C. Quaye said he was confident that Ghanaian pilgrims would participate in the next Hajj in 2022.

"I salute the President and Vice President of the Republic of Ghana for supporting Ghanaian Muslims, because at the moment all is very clear that in 2022 the Hajj will come on," he stated.