The Haj Committee of India (HCI) has said that no Indian Muslims shall be allowed to go for the annual Haj pilgrimage unless they have taken the two vaccine doses.

The committee announcement came on Thursday following the latest directives from the Saudi Arabian Health Ministry and the Indian Consulate-General in Jeddah.

“In case Indian pilgrims perform Haj-2021, outgoing flights will start from mid-June,” HCI CEO Maqsood Ahmed Khan said, for the most important pilgrimage in a Muslim’s life, this year falling on July 17.

In 2020, the Haj pilgrimage was out of bounds for the Muslim faithful from India as it occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic in late July.