Makkah (UNA-OIC) – Deputy Governor of Makkah Region Prince Badr bin Sultan, who is also deputy chairman of the Central Hajj Committee, chaired a meeting at Mina, during which he was briefed on the plans and preparedness of the sectors related to serving this year’s Hajj pilgrims.
The meeting was held Thursday in the presence of Saudi Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Abdulfattah bin Suleiman Mashat and officials of the sectors related to serving pilgrims.
At the outset of the meeting; The Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah gave an explanation of the ministry’s plan, during which technology will be harnessed to serve the pilgrims, chiefly the application of the Hajj smart card “Shayir” that allows the pilgrim to know the gathering points, departure times to and from their residences in the holy sites, and enables them to choose their daily meals.
The smart cards, which are green, red, yellow and blue link the holder to his position in the holy sites. They are also used for entry through the smart gates. In addition to being used for entry through the smart gates, the cards also contain the grouping schedules and everything related to the pilgrimage journey.
With regard to transportation between the holy places, 3,000 buses are made available to transport pilgrims while observing the precautionary measures, as each bus will carry 20 pilgrims only, accompanied by a leader and guide, to educate them and ensure that precautionary measures are applied to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
As for crowd management, the pilgrims will be grouped using a smart application specially designed for this purpose. With regard to catering, the utmost safety and security measures are taken into account in preparing food and drink to ensure the health and safety of pilgrims. Therefore, pre-made meals, which are produced in accordance with the highest standards of quality and food security of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), will be provided to the pilgrims during the Hajj season.
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Prince Badr bin Sultan reviewed the plans of the security sectors aimed at enabling the pilgrims to perform the Hajj rituals in a safe spiritual atmosphere. He added that one of the most prominent features of the security plan is the reception of pilgrims through four entrances to Makkah, namely Al-Shumaisi, Al-Tanaim, Al-Sail, and Al-Hada roads, in addition to those arriving by train. The sorting and verification of permits will be done automatically.
Then, the pilgrims will be transported by buses equipped with smart systems to ensure their entry into the holy sites, said the deputy chairman of the Central Hajj Committee.
The plan also includes the preparation of 10 security control centers supported by security personnel and modern technologies in all the corners of the Holy Capital to prevent violators and infiltrators from entering the holy sites and apply immediate penalties against them.
On the health side, the Ministry of Health has prepared a number of facilities that provide treatment services to the pilgrims, including equipping three hospitals in the holy places, namely East Arafat, Jabal Al-Rahma and Mina Al-Wadi, as well as six health centers, three of which are in Arafat, and the other three and in the pilgrims’ residence sites in Mina.
