Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, the emir of Makkah, an adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the chairman of the Central Hajj Committee (CHC), chaired on Wednesday the committee meeting, which included a review of the authorities’ plans during the holy month of Ramadan, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Prince Khaled stressed the necessity of unifying and consolidating efforts and increasing the level of coordination and readiness to serve the visitors of the Two Holy Mosques, in addition to providing everything that would preserve their safety.

Then, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah presented its plan for Ramadan season, which includes increasing the operational capacity of the Grand Mosque while adhering to all precautionary and preventive measures issued by the relevant authorities according to the following regulations: Granting permits to perform Umrah and prayers in the Grand Mosque to immunized persons according to the (Tawakkalna) application for immunization categories.

Booking permits to perform Umrah rituals, prayers and visits will be through the (Eatmarna) and (Tawakkalna) apps, besides booking available time slots according to the available time and the operational capacity while adhering to the precautionary measures. In addition to showing the permits and verifying their validity through the (Tawakkalna) application, directly from the account of the beneficiary and through the main and accredited platforms for obtaining permits, namely (Eatmarna) and (Tawakkalna) applications.

The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque also presented its operational plan, which will be implemented by 4,422 employees serving Umrah performers and worshipers at the Grand Mosque during the month of Ramadan.

According to the plan, the presidency allocated 14 paths for the performance of Tawaf (circumambulation) and allocated the three paths closest to the Kaaba for the elderly and people with special needs.

Nearly 5,000 male and female workers will perform sterilization and disinfection operations around the clock, and instructional posters will be put up in all prayer halls to promote adherence to social distancing. In addition, carpets will continue to be raised and the prayer halls sterilized before and after each prayer.

For its part, the General Authority of Civil Aviation presented its plan for King Abdulaziz Airport to receive Umrah performers during Ramadan, where a specialized team from all relevant operational departments was allocated around the clock in coordination with government agencies and service providers to secure the necessary manpower to serve pilgrims in all airport halls, and the northern terminal was prepared for the arrival and departure of Umrah performers according to the precautionary measures for the COVID-19 pandemic issued by the Ministry of Health.

All means of transport have been prepared and provided to serve the Umrah performers which include buses, vehicles, and the Haramain High-Speed Railway, and provide all the operational requirements to complete the procedures for the arrival and departure of Umrah performers, and designate express service routes to receive and complete their procedures.