Interior Ministry Spokesman: pilgrims arrive in Makkah today in preparation for Hajj journey in Holy Sites
The Spokesman of the Ministry of Interior Major General Mansour Al-Turki said that the mission of bodies working in Hajj began since the arrival of pilgrims in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through all ports. Pilgrims' arrival in Makkah will be completed during the seventh day of Dhul-Hijjah to start the Hajj journey.
The Spokesman Major General Al-Turki said in a press conference here today that the transfer to holy sites is usually by buses. There are a number of pilgrims choose to walk from the Grand Holy Mosque to Mina, and after their arrival in Mina, Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro line participates in the transport of pilgrims.
He pointed out that there are about 350,000 pilgrims to be transported by the Metro Line and 750,000 to 800,000 pilgrims to be transported by frequent trips.
For his part, Official Spokesman of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Hatem Qadhi lauded the successful issuing of more than 1.8 million e-visas, pointing out that this step is a qualitative leap in facilitating the entry procedures for the pilgrims.
He also highlighted the success of Makkah Road initiative which has been applied in five countries, namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Tunisia. More than 150,000 pilgrims benefited from the initiative and arrived in the Kingdom as if they are on a domestic flight, he said.
He also said that more than 3,000 flights carrying pilgrims arrived at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah. More than 800,000 pilgrims arrived in Madinah to greet the Prophet (peace be upon him) and visit the Prophet's Mosque and then head for Makkah, the Official Spokesman said. As many as 25,000 buses transported the pilgrims from Madinah to Makkah without any accidents, he added.
The Official Spokesman also said that as many as 21,000 inspection tours were made to ensure the quality of services provided in Madinah and the holy sites, pointing out that the transporting of pilgrims from their dwellings in Makkah to Mina will begin tonight.
The Official Spokesman of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said that the ministry is equipped with more than 70,000 skilled cadres to carry out the task of transporting pilgrims to Mina, in addition to 3,000 Saudi national volunteers.
He pointed out that the number of tents where the pilgrims will stay in Mina and Arafat exceeds 350,000 which are fully furnished and air-conditioned. All the services needed by the pilgrim will be available in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa.
For his part, the Official Spokesman of the Public Security in Hajj Sami Al-Shwairkh said that the Hajj process is managed by the Command and Control Center of Hajj Security with the participation of all relevant government agencies providing services to pilgrims. Al-Shwairkh pointed out that the Command and Control Center is linked with 5909 cameras that live broadcast the movement of pilgrims in the Grand Mosque, Mina, Muzdalifa and Arafa. Moreover, the Center is linked with six permanent security checkpoints, he said, stressing that whoever does not carry a Hajj permit will not be allowed to proceed to Makkah.
The Spokesman also said that the latest statistics issued yesterday indicated that 15,018 persons who did not have a Hajj permit were denied entry to Makkah and 209,741 vehicles were also not allowed to enter Makkah because they were violating Hajj regulations.
For his part, Official Spokesman of the Ministry of Health Dr. Mohammed bin Khalid Al-Abdalali said that the health situation of pilgrims is reassuring and no epidemic cases have been recorded.
The Ministry of Health is providing health services during this year's Hajj season via 25 hospitals, 156 health centers, 17 emergency centers on Jamarat Bridge, 7 mobile clinics and 18 points providing health services in the Holy Sites train, he said.
He also said that the services provided by the Ministry of Health at hospitals and health centers benefited 300,000 pilgrims. Quality, advanced and specialized services were provided in these health facilities where 25 open heart operations, 600 cardiac catheterization operations, 1615 dialysis sessions, 67 endoscopic operations and 400 surgeries were performed.
For his part, Official Spokesman of the Civil Defense Mohammed Al-Hammadi confirmed that the Civil Defense has prepared a comprehensive plan to be implemented by a personnel of more than 17,000 and more than 3,000 vehicles to protect the lives and properties of pilgrims and to provide safety and protection for them.
Al-Hammadi also said the Civil Defense has inspected the pilgrims' dwellings to ensure the provision of fire protection requirements. The Civil Defense has also issued licenses to 616 dwellings in Madinah and 4,246 dwellings in Makkah to host pilgrims, the Official Spokesman said.
Al-Hammadi pointed out that the Preventive Supervision Team in the Holy Sites and Makkah conducted more than 25,104 field inspection tours to ensure the implementation of fire safety and protection measures and achieve the highest level of safety, pointing out that many awareness programs were held for pilgrims in different languages.
Al-Hammadi also said that 1500 persons have volunteered in the work of civil defense.
Then, the participants in the first press conference answered questions raised by attending journalists.
Regarding the numbers of Qatari pilgrims, the Official Spokesman of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah stressed that the number of Qatari pilgrims arriving in the Kingdom is few despite the provided facilities and e-registration via the internet links which are blocked by the State of Qatar. A number of Qatari pilgrims came to perform Hajj from other countries.
Commenting on the rumors that aim at undermining the successes achieved by the Kingdom during Hajj seasons, the Official Spokesman of the Ministry of Interior said "Unfortunately, some Muslims try to target Hajj using any means, either by attempting to foil Hajj or threatening the security and safety of pilgrims, or minimizing the efforts exerted by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to make Hajj season successful. In fact, we do not pay attention to such rumors, he said, adding that only the pilgrims who performed Hajj are aware of the great efforts exerted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to facilitate the pilgrims' performance of Hajj rituals safely and easily.