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21:11 GMT
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Sept 12 (KUNA) -- The Saudi Permanent Committee on Fatwas issued on Friday a fatwa (religious opinion) barring entry of camels into the holy sites and offering them as 'odhiya' (sacrifice) during Hajj (pilgrimage).
Cows, sheep and goats can be slaughtered and used for odhiya ritual instead, according to the fatwa.
The measure aims to prevent any possible outbreak of the coronavirus among the pilgrims, the committee said.
The ruling is based on medical findings that coronavirus, which can be carried by camels, causes the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) while the other animals cannot carry the virus, it explained.
The committee called on those who contracted the deadly virus and plan to perform Hajj this year to postpone their pilgrimage until they recover.
It added that it took note of a rise in the rate of infection with the virus in the run-up to the Hajj season and that it adopted the ruling for the safety of the pilgrims and the people who are in contact with the camels, whether raisers or butchers. (end)
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