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29 March 2024

Saudi Arabia taking measures for pilgrims' safety

Published
By Mohammed Al Sadafy

Dr Saleh Hamad Al Suhaibani the cultural attaché of the Embassy of Saudi Arabia to the UAE said the Coronavirus, known as Mers (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) has been contained and there has been no increase in reported cases.

Corona is a weak virus, which remains alive for 24 hours outside the body. About 117 people have died out of 431 infected cases registered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Hamad Al-Suhaibani stressed that the Kingdom is not considering using health detectors for travelers arriving to and departing from their country.

He added that they didn’t receive any recommendations from the World Health Organization regarding the examination of the pilgrims coming to the Kingdom.

He said in an exclusive interview to Emirates 24|7 that the Kingdom with all its agencies and departments is committed to dealing with the health issue with utmost transparency.

He added the concerned authorities of the Kingdom have been providing the World Health Organization (WHO) and other global health institutions with all the information and updates about the spread of the disease in the country.

Hamad Al-Suhaibani confirmed that the WHO team in the Kingdom assigned to assess the current situation did not recommend any restrictions on travel or trade, including the next Haj season scheduled during October.

He added the Kingdom has not issued any new rule banning the elderly and the infirm people from performing Haj and Umrah.



He explained the Kingdom is leveraging technology to facilitate the arrangements for Umrah and Haj pilgrims.

He said that the number of pilgrims from the United Arab Emirates going to Saudi is normal compared to previous years. “But that Umrah visas issued by the Saudi Consulate in the UAE is above their normal level, reaching more than 2,000 daily Umrah visas.”

He said the number of pilgrims is an added assurance for those who are wishing to perform the Haj and Umrah.

He added that he himself performed Umrah recently.

He said that the weather and climate of Mecca is hot, which helps to kill the disease. And the pilgrims any way do not stay there for a long time.

He confirmed the existence of an integrated plan to confront any emergency. He added that officials from health department and ministries have been assigned to be in Mecca and Jeddah to be close to the pilgrims and handle any situation.

He also called pilgrims to take precaution and follow the health instructions.

He added that pilgrims should wash hands thoroughly with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing and after using the utilities, as well as before and after handling food.

He also asked people to avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth by hand, in addition to wearing masks in crowded places and change their masks every six hours.

People also must maintain their distance from those suffering from any respiratory symptoms.