Pilgrims repeat 'Stoning of the Devil' Ritual before returning to Mecca on fifth Day of Hajj

Janomot report: This year, the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia is taking place amid tough anti-coronavirus measures in the country, where more than 270,000 COVID-19 cases have so far been confirmed.

Watch a live broadcast from outside the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's Mecca, where Muslim pilgrims are gathering on the fifth day of the Hajj to repeat the 'Stoning of the Devil' ceremony.

During this ritual, worshipers hurl stones at three walls that represent the temptation to disobey god. The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam that all Muslims are expected to complete at least once in their lifetime. Usually, the pilgrimage attracts more than two million visitors to Saudi Arabia but this year the authorities allowed only up to 10,000 visitors already present in the country to take part in the Hajj due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic. 

As of 2 August, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has registered more than 270,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, Johns Hopkins University says.​