Ministry of Interior Security Spokesman Colonel Talal bin Shalhoub said that the transportation of pilgrims to the holy sites was carried out successfully following their return this morning to Mina to perform the ritual of stoning Satan at the Jamarat pillars and to the Grand Mosque to perform Tawaf Al-Ifadah. During a press conference on Wednesday, the spokesman underscored that the security agencies are continuing to ensure pilgrims' security and safety during their stay at Mina and their performance of the Hajj rituals at the Grand Mosque and the Jamarat pillars.
He called on pilgrims to abide by the regulations concerning crowd movement and follow designated routes and remain calm while performing their rituals during the Tashreeg Days in Mina’s Jamarat Site and at the Grand Mosque. He also emphasized that serving pilgrims and the Two Holy Mosques with leading human resources and financial capabilities is a top priority for the Saudi leadership.
For his part, the official spokesman of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly, noted that the Hajj rituals had been performed smoothly and calmly amid integrated health services at the holy sites of Arafat and Muzdalifah. He said that medical services had been provided to more than 215,000 pilgrims during this year’s Hajj, including hospital beds for more than 4,000 cases, adding that highly qualified medical staff and well-equipped healthcare facilities have been put in place to serve pilgrims and ensure their wellbeing while performing their Hajj rituals.
Al-Abd Al-Aly explained that the virtual hospital continues delivering more than 3,500 services using the latest technologies, adding that medical teams have dealt with 6,700 cases of heat stress, including 2,200 cases today, of which 261 cases were heat shock. He called on pilgrims to be cautious, avoid sun exposure and fatigue, rest well, abide by health authorities' instructions, and follow high hygienic standards, including covering the mouth and nose. He also called on pilgrims to contact 937 regarding any inquiry, care, or medical note. For his part, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for Hajj Affairs, Dr. Ayed Alghwinm, said that the dispatching of pilgrims from Arafat to Muzdalifah was completed shortly after midnight amid a reassuring security and health situation with a compliance rate of more than 95 percent, and in a time not exceeding eight hours under direct follow-up and interest from the leaders of the pilgrims' service system and the transportation and logistics services systems. "We, as a system, have succeeded, thanks to Allah Almighty, to facilitate the pilgrims' Tafweej from Muzdalifah to Mina in just ten hours, taking into account the jurisprudential aspects of the Hajj and the stoning of the Jamarat continued until this hour, taking into consideration the pilgrims health and special conditions, amid an operational efficiency that applies standards for dealing with risks and challenges,” Dr. Alghwinm said
He pointed out that through field monitoring, it was found that several pilgrims prefer to walk despite the intensive awareness campaigns, the provision of all means of transportation, and the warning that temperatures will be high. He explained that, in coordination and cooperation with partners in the municipality of Makkah and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, in addition to the pivotal role of the Islamic Development Bank, the animals' sacrificial process was organized by the highest environmental standards, using an advanced system for managing animal waste within the project of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to benefit from the animals' sacrificial meat, with a capacity of up to 950,000 of animals' sacrifices.
With regard to enabling the pilgrims to perform Tawaf Al-Ifadah smoothly and easily, Dr. Alghwinm stated that the frequency transfer operations from the holy site of Mina to the Grand Mosque will continue from 01:00 pm until tomorrow, through 15 parking lots and stations, from which pilgrims board 1,500 buses that use eight lanes.
He indicated that the teams operating in the field were able to transport about 40% of the pilgrims so far, with a capacity of up to 1.5 million pilgrims. He stressed that the service system for the pilgrims and the supervisory authorities follow up on the performance of all companies providing the service according to the rules.
For his part, the spokesman for the Transport and Logistics System, Saleh Al-Zuwaid, confirmed that the operational lines of Al-Mashaer train are proceeding as planned and continued for the fourth day in providing an easy transportation service for pilgrims during the past 24 hours, benefiting more than 297,000 pilgrims from the holy site of Arafat to the holy site of Muzdalifah. "More than 396,000 pilgrims have moved from Muzdalifah to Mina, and since this morning, the movement of Al-Mashaer train that connects the stations of the holy sites to Jamarat Bridge has started, which has so far benefited more than 106,000 passengers,” he said.
"We are now preparing to implement the operational plans for the departure stage, whether pilgrims wishing to return to their countries through airports or go to Madinah via roads, or by Al-Haramain train, which continues to implement its operational plan for this year's Hajj season, through which more than 1.5 million seats are provided through more than 3,000 trips, and in the air sector, the second phase of the operational plan for this year's Hajj season began with the preparation of six airports designated for foreign pilgrims as well as domestic ones, after the success of the first phase of this plan,” Al-Zuwaid said. He stressed the keenness to ensure that the departure of pilgrims is organized according to an operational plan in which 27 operating agencies at the airport participate and are supervised by the transport and logistics system, in addition to several initiatives launched by the Ministry to facilitate the departure of pilgrims, including the "Hajj Without A Bag" Initiative from which more than 200,000 pilgrims from four countries will benefit, as employees will be available around the clock to supervise the arrival of pilgrims at airports accurately, in coordination with ground operations, to ensure the accuracy of flight times. With regard to cooperation with the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites, a spokesman for the transportation and logistics system said, "We are studying the development of transport among the holy sites and the provision of multiple modes of transport, such as linking Al-Mashaer train to Al-Haramain train, passing through the central area."
