MAKKAH: Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, governor of the Makkah Region and president of the Central Hajj Committee, has hailed Saudi Hajj preparations during a press conference.
He confirmed the success of awareness campaigns against Hajj regulation violators, stressing that volunteers around the holy sites have high levels of experience and performance in serving pilgrims.
Prince Khalid said that the Kingdom did not pause Hajj over the past two years despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and that he is honored to serve pilgrims “anytime and anywhere.”
After a field tour to inspect the services provided to pilgrims, Prince Khalid said that there were no cases of COVID-19 recorded during the day of Al-Tarwiyah (Day of perfusion).
He added that 19 individuals responsible for violating Hajj restrictions by transporting unauthorized people were arrested, as were 79 individuals behind fake campaigns. He hailed new projects that launched this Hajj, including 18 hospitals in Makkah and the holy sites with a combined capacity of more than 3,700 beds.
Prince Khalid said that 111,000 violators and 68,000 unauthorized vehicles were prevented from entering Makkah. In total, there are about 150,000 security, health and hospitality workers serving pilgrims during Hajj, he added.
The governor said that 2,500 violators of residency regulations and border security were also arrested in Makkah.
He added that Makkah’s water and electrical infrastructure is easily handling the influx of pilgrims.
About 20 million cubic meters of water will be pumped during the month of Dhul Hijjah, Prince Khalid said.
