Remarkable commitment to the precautionary measures at the Grand Mosque in Mecca

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah confirmed that there will be no increase in the specific numbers of the capacity of the Holy Mosque during the season of the month of Ramadan for pilgrims and worshipers.

It revealed that the strategy that is set before the Umrah season in Ramadan succeeded in the flow of pilgrims and worshipers to the Grand Mosque during the first days of Ramadan.

The Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr Abdel-Fattah Mashat, said that all those who go to the Grand Mosque have to commit. He ruled out any increase in the number of Umrah performers or worshipers until the end of the blessed month of Ramadan for operational capacity, despite expectations of increased pressure from people and Umrah performers who desire to perform Umrah this month, especially on the last days of Ramadan.

However, the numbers will not increase from what is recorded in terms of absorbing the current operational capacity, pointing out that the number of Umrah performers corresponds to the capacity of the Grand Mosque, as the number of pilgrims can absorb 50 thousand and approximately 100 thousand worshipers per day.

The first stage for the pilgrim begins from the moment they arrive at one of the gathering centres, where the process of checking the validity of the permits is carried. Then, the Haram Square administration distributes the pilgrims to the areas and times specified for them to perform Umrah or prayer.

The separation and the application of precautions issued by the Ministry of Health, especially during the transport of pilgrims, determines the number of passengers in each at about 20, with a leader to follow the procedures.

The strategy of the Ministry of Hajj in the last ten days of Ramadan is to increase monitoring around the central region and also to ensure that those coming to the area obtain the necessary permits to perform Umrah or prayer.

Regarding whether there is a difference in the requirements for internal and external Umrah performers, it is emphasized that all the health and preventive measures applied to Umrah performers are applied to those coming from abroad during the month of Ramadan (applied through Umrah companies).