Saudi Arabia has announced that this year's Hajj pilgrims will comprise 70 per cent residents and 30 per cent citizens, with health workers being given priority.
International attendance to the pilgrimage has been restricted because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said ensuring health standards would be the main factor behind the selection process, with citizen pilgrims being strictly chosen from healthcare workers and security personnel who have already fully recovered from Covid-19.
They will be selected from a recovery database and as a "token of appreciation for their role in providing care for our society as it fought the pandemic", Saudi Press Agency reported.
The ministry said it would also prioritise healthy, non-Saudi Arabian residents of the country between the ages of 20 and 50, to be allowed to take part after testing them for the virus. They will be asked to quarantine for an unspecified period of time before and after performing Hajj.
Those eligible, can register at https://www.haj.gov.sa between July 6 and July 10.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia announced a ban on impromptu gatherings and meetings during the Hajj to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The authorities decided in June to limit the number of pilgrims to about 1,000. It is the first time in the modern era that those overseas are unable to travel to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage.
Touching the Kaaba will also be prohibited this year, and pilgrims will have to keep a minimum distance of one and a half metres from one another during the rituals, including mass prayers and while performing tawaf (walk around the Kaaba seven times).
The ministry said special plans, including healthcare services and segmentation, have been put in place this year.
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How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
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Tomorrow 2021
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Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
