At least 24,000 pilgrims have performed Umrah since the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia reopened its doors to worshippers on Saturday, with no reported cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques on Wednesday said that strict health and safety measures had been introduced to protect pilgrims and help stop the spread of the virus.
- Umrah pilgrims return to a Mecca stilled by COVID-19 slump
- Umrah pilgrims return to a Mecca stilled by COVID-19 slump
“Our precautionary measures plan for Umrah with COVID-19 is based on protection, sanitization, crowd management, and raising awareness,” said presidency spokesperson Hani Haider.
“We have prepared four isolation sites for pilgrims with suspicious symptoms.
“However, no suspected COVID-19 case has yet been reported.”
In order to ensure social distancing, the presidency has designated special pathways for elderly and disabled people to help them safely perform Umrah rituals.
Haider pointed out that efforts were being concentrated on the sanitization of the Grand Mosque and its arenas with 4,000 workers doing an average 10 cleans a day.
More than 1,800 litres of eco-friendly disinfectants and sanitizers were also being used to clean toilets six times each day.
Air-conditioning systems and filters were receiving nine daily cleans using ultraviolet sanitizing technology, and more than 200 hand-sanitizing devices had been distributed around the Grand Mosque.
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