One thousand pilgrims performing the 2020 hajj will be at Arafat to listen to the sermon, which is the pinnacle of the hajj rites.

The authorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had, last month, stated that it would hold a “very limited” hajj this year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had so far recorded over 250,000 cases of coronavirus and over 2,500 deaths. The authorities had said the hajj rites would be restricted to 1,000 people already present in Saudi Arabia 70 percent of them foreigners and the rest Saudis.

The hajj rites, which began on Wednesday, saw the pilgrims converge on the Mina Valley outside Makkah to commence their spiritual journey of a lifetime. There were reports that social distancing was observed, Daily Trust report from Arab News.