Togo Enforces COVID-19 Measures For Returning Hajj Pilgrims

Togo has tightened COVID-19 controls for pilgrims returning from the annual Muslim hajj pilgrimage, following Senegal’s lead.

Togo is now the second West African country to implement COVID-19 screening tests and face masks for returning pilgrims.

Senegal was the first in the region to introduce voluntary testing, suspecting that some of the approximately 1,300 deaths reported by Saudi Arabia were due to a respiratory illness like COVID-19.

The Togolese government, on Friday, announced that hajj pilgrims must undergo mandatory COVID-19 tests and follow guidelines to limit contacts, wear masks, wash regularly, and avoid large gatherings for ten days after their return.

Saudi Arabia’s SPA news agency reported 1,301 deaths during the pilgrimage, which was attended by about 1.8 million people from around the world. Temperatures reached as high as 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit).

SPA also noted that over 80 per cent of pilgrims, who participated mainly in outdoor rituals, were “unauthorised” and walked long distances in direct sunlight.

About 18 per cent of Togo’s eight million people are Muslim. This year, around 2,500 Togolese travelled to Saudi Arabia for the hajj. They left in June and are returning on special flights chartered by the government between June 29 and July 3.

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