Scaled-down hajj pilgrimage to start July 29: Saudi officials

This year's hajj, which has been scaled back dramatically to include only around 1,000 Muslim pilgrims as Saudi Arabia battles a coronavirus surge, will begin on July 29, authorities said Monday.This year's hajj will be held under strict hygiene protocols, with access limited to pilgrims under 65 years old and without any chronic illnesses."The stand of pilgrims on Mount Arafat, the peak of the hajj ritual, falls on Thursday," the official Saudi Press Agency cited the Supreme Court as saying, in