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Pilgrims arrive in Saudi Arabia as Hajj Ministry completes preparations

Arab News
July 26, 2017

Jeddah, Jul 26: The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced that pilgrims have started arriving in the Kingdom via land, air and sea ports.Pilgrims

On Sunday, 325 pilgrims arrived at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah on the first Hajj flight from Pakistan, while three other Hajj flights from Pakistan arrived in Madinah with 651 pilgrims on board. More international flights followed.

The ministry began implementing plans adopted by Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mohammed Salih Bentin for this year’s Hajj season, which ensure all services will be provided to pilgrims from the time of their arrival in the Kingdom until departure at the end of their Hajj.

The minister urged all sectors operating under the ministry, religious institutions and the General Syndicate of Cars, to ensure implementation of ministry-approved plans and establish cooperation and coordination between all participating agencies.

The minister also instructed all Hajj service centers in Makkah and Madinah to intensify efforts and facilitate all operations concerning pilgrims. He also advised them to strengthen the role of monitoring committees in the field.

Pilgrims are expected to continue arriving in the Kingdom until the fifth day of Dhul Hijjah, with an expected 950,000 pilgrims arriving via King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah and 750,000 arriving at Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Madinah. Around 100,000 pilgrims will arrive by land and sea. Pilgrims from 178 countries are registered for this year’s Hajj season.

Moreover, Umrah travel operators from Riyadh will operate the last Umrah travel on Thursday.

A leading Umrah travel agent in the capital said that in view of the Hajj season, the regular coach service from the Riyadh to Makkah and Madinah will be suspended until the end of the Hajj season with the last run on Thursday. He also said that some travel operators wound up their Umrah operations last week.

The Umrah season reached its peak during the holy month of Ramadan which recorded nearly 3 million pilgrims from abroad and from the Kingdom during a 30-day period.

The regular five-day package to Makkah and Madinah is suspended till the Hajj is over, the agent said.

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Agencies
July 31,2020

Makkah, Jul 31: Organising this year's scaled-down hajj required "double efforts" by Saudi authorities amid the coronavirus pandemic, King Salman said Friday after being discharged from hospital following gall bladder surgery.

Only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom are participating in this year's pilgrimage, compared with 2019's gathering of some 2.5 million from around the world.

"Holding the ritual in the shadow of this pandemic... required reducing the numbers of pilgrims, but it obliged various official agencies to put in double efforts," 84-year-old King Salman said in a speech read out on state television by acting media minister Majid Al-Qasabi.

"The hajj this year was restricted to a very limited number of people from multiple nationalities, ensuring the ritual was completed despite the difficult circumstances," he said.

The speech came on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice, a day after the king left hospital following a 10-day stay for surgery to remove his gall bladder.

The hajj, which began on Wednesday, is one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime.

Authorities implemented the "highest health precautions" during the rituals, the king said.

Pilgrims, who were all tested for the virus, are required to wear masks and observe social distancing.

For Friday's "stoning of the devil", the last major ritual of the hajj, Saudi authorities offered the pilgrims pebbles that were sanitised to protect against the pandemic.

In a sign that its strict measures were working, the health ministry reported no coronavirus cases in the holy sites on Wednesday or Thursday.

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Agencies
May 1,2020

Saudi Arabia has initiated refund of work visa fee to foreigners unable to travel to the Kingdom due to the suspension of international flights in the aftermath of Covid-19 pandemic.

Several work visas were cancelled, following which the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, in cooperation and coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced the refund. The cancellation and refunding of the stamped visas will be considered effective from the date of issuance of the royal decree on March 18, reported Saudi Gazette.

As a precautionary measure to curb the spread of coronavirus, the Kingdom suspended all international flight. The ministry of health in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday announced 1,325 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases and 169 recoveries. With this, the total number of cases in the Kingdom now stands at 21,402, while recoveries stand at 2,953, as on Wednesday reported KT.

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Agencies
July 23,2020

Abu Dhabi, Jul 23: Muslims in the United Arab Emirates have been asked to perform Eid Al-Adha prayers at home even as mosques will be allowed to operate at an increased capacity of 50 percent from Aug. 3.

Mosques in the UAE have been operating at 30 percent capacity after they reopened on July 1.

Announcing the move, Dr. Saif Al Dhaheri, the official spokesman for the National Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, stated that after assessing the situation and coordinating with the concerned authorities, it was decided that Eid Al-Adha prayers would be conducted in homes and takbeers broadcast through visual and audio means.

He also announced that the Emirates Fatwa Council has recommended that donations and sacrifices should be to official charitable causes in the country only.

Al Dhaheri advised the public to donate during this time to the official charitable bodies in the country with sacrifices and donations, through smart applications concerned with sacrifices or through slaughterhouses outlined by the local authorities that guarantee the application of precautionary and preventive measures and provide remote services without the need to enter livestock markets or slaughterhouses.

Al Dhaheri stressed the need to avoid family visits and gatherings, and replace them using electronic means of communication or phone contact, as well as refraining from distributing Eid gifts and money to children and individuals during this occasion recommending to instead use of electronic alternatives.

Al Dhaheri pointed out that it is necessary to avoid visiting pregnant women, children and those with chronic diseases who are most vulnerable to COVID-19 and not to allow them to leave the home and avoid going out to public places to preserve their health and safety.

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