Secure, serene Hajj: King Salman hails interior minister

Agencies
August 27, 2018

Jeddah, Aug 27: King Salman sent a thank-you note to Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saud bin Naif, interior minister and chairman of the Supreme Hajj Committee, congratulating him for Al-Adha and the success of this year’s Hajj.

The king said that the comprehensive security, regulatory and traffic plans for this year’s Hajj allowed 2.3 million pilgrims “to perform their duties with ease, security and reassurance in a serene environment.”

Significant efforts had been made by government and non-government bodies to serve pilgrims, he said.

The king said he prayed for God’s acceptance of pilgrims’ prayers and their safe return to their homelands, and wished success for Islam and Muslims.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also sent a thank-you note to the prince. “We thank your Highness, provincial governors, members of the Supreme Hajj Committee, all participants in serving pilgrims, security personnel of all military sectors, governmental and non-governmental bodies for your congratulations and for what has been achieved thanks to everyone’s efforts and their readiness to serve pilgrims, under the supervision, follow-up and guidance of King Salman,” he wrote.

Earlier, the prince sent a thank-you note to the crown prince on behalf of princes, the Supreme Hajj Committee, provincial governors, members of the Interior Ministry and their co-workers, congratulating them for Al-Adha and the success of this year’s Hajj.

He said: “On my own behalf and on behalf of princes, members of the Supreme Hajj Committee, security personnel and the people who supported them from governmental and non-governmental bodies participating in this year’s Hajj work, I am honored to send you my most sincere congratulations on the pious occasion of Al-Adha, and may you be blessed with good health and wellness,” he wrote.

“I am also honored to congratulate you for the success of this year’s Hajj season, thanks to God, your Highness and King Salman’s care, support and guidance, which enabled pilgrims to perform Hajj with ease, security and reassurance with the services and facilities provided by Saudi Arabia, through an accurate implementation of Hajj’s security, preventive, regulatory and traffic plans with 2,371,675 pilgrims arriving in Arafat on the most important day of Hajj and standing in that mighty site.

“The traffic plan was implemented with accuracy; the arrival to Arafat was completed in record time, mobilization from Arafat to Muzdalifah then Mina was completed with ease and in accordance with careful organization, and the beginning of throwing pebbles, influx to the Grand Mosque to perform Tawaf Al-Ifada and completion of Hajj rituals following the guidance of the Chosen One were also performed with ease.

“The security situation was stable without the occurrence of any incidents, and was in accordance with strict discipline, immediate and careful surveillance of pilgrims’ conditions and all their movements during the performance of Hajj rituals. Health conditions were reassuring, and thanks to the exerted efforts, there was no emergence of epidemics,” he wrote.

The prince said that the success of this year’s Hajj was thanks to the “royal care and directions of King Salman and the crown prince, as well as the dedication of security personnel, members of civilian and military sectors that supported them in this Hajj season to perform this great duty.”

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News Network
March 18,2020

Riyadh, Mar 18: Private-sector businesses in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday were ordered to introduce enforced remote working for all employees for 15 days in an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Businesses that require staff to be physically present to ensure they continue to operate — including those in vital or sensitive sectors such as electricity, water and communications — must reduce the number of workers in their offices to the bare minimum. This can be no more than 40 percent of the total number of staff.

In such cases precautionary measures set by the Ministry of Health must be followed. At offices, and staff accommodation, with more than 50 workers, an area at the entrance must be provided where temperatures can be taken and symptoms checked.

Employers must also set up a mechanism for workers to report any symptoms, such as high temperature, coughing or shortness of breath, or contact they have had with infected individuals or people who recently returned from other countries without following proper Ministry of Health quarantine procedures.

Inside offices, a safe amount of space between employees must be maintained at all times. In addition, all health clubs and nurseries provided by employers must close.

Pregnant women and new mothers, people suffering from respiratory diseases, those with immune-system problems or chronic conditions, cancer patients and employees above the age of 55 are to be given 14 days compulsory paid leave, which will not be deducted from their annual entitlement.

Businesses that are excluded from the new measures include pharmacies and supermarkets, and their suppliers. Private-sector organizations that provide services to government agencies must contact them before suspending workplace attendance. Any other business that considers it impossible to operate with only 40 percent of staff in the workplace must submit an exemption request to the authority that supervises it.

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News Network
March 6,2020

Riyadh, Mar 6: Saudi Arabia on Thursday emptied Islam's holiest site for sterilisation over fears of the new coronavirus, an unprecedented shutdown state media said will last while the year-round Umrah pilgrimage is suspended.

The kingdom halted the pilgrimage for its own citizens and residents on Wednesday, on top of restrictions announced last week on foreign pilgrims to stop the disease from spreading.

State television relayed images of an empty white-tiled area surrounding the Kaaba -- a large black cube structure inside Mecca's Grand Mosque -- which is usually packed with tens of thousands of pilgrims.

As a "precautionary measure", the area will remain closed as long as the umrah suspension lasts but prayers will be allowed inside the mosque, state-run Saudi Press Agency cited a mosque official as saying.

Additionally, the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque in the city of Medina will be closed an hour after the evening "Isha" prayer and will reopen an hour before the dawn "Fajr" prayer to allow cleaning and sterilisation, the official added.

A group of cleaners was seen scrubbing and mopping the tiles around the Kaaba, a structure draped in gold-embroidered gold cloth towards which Muslims around the world pray.

A Saudi official told news agency the decision to close the area was "unprecedented".

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia suspended the umrah for its own citizens and residents over fears of the coronavirus spreading to Islam's holiest cities.

The move came after authorities last week suspended visas for the umrah and barred citizens from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council from entering Mecca and Medina.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday declared three new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of reported infections to five.

The umrah, which refers to the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of year, attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe annually.

The decision to suspend the umrah mirrors a precautionary approach across the Gulf to cancel mass gatherings from concerts to sporting events.

It comes ahead of the holy fasting month of Ramadan starting in late April, which is a favoured period for pilgrimage.

It is unclear how the coronavirus will affect the hajj, due to start in late July.

Some 2.5 million faithful travelled to Saudi Arabia from across the world in 2019 to take part in the hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam as Muslim obligations are known.

The event is a massive logistical challenge for Saudi authorities, with colossal crowds cramming into relatively small holy sites, making attendees vulnerable to contagion.

Already reeling from slumping oil prices, the kingdom risks losing billions of dollars annually from religious tourism as it tightens access to the sites.

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News Network
July 9,2020

Dubai, Jul 9: The Government of India has announced an additional 104 special repatriation flights from the UAE to India as part of the Vande Bharat Mission, Phase 4 from July 15 - 31.

According to a flight schedule listed on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) website, national carriers Air India and Air India Express flights have been scheduled to various cities in 10 Indian states. Each flight has a capacity of 177 passengers.

Vande Bharat Phase 4 officially began on July 3, and in an earlier press briefing Anurag Srivastava, spokesperson of India's Ministry of External Affairs had said 'Phase 4 will focus on repatriation of Gulf-based Indians.

The new additional flights have been organised to cities in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Delhi, Telangana, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Rajasthan, according to the MEA schedule. To the joy of expats from Maharashtra, at least seven flights have been planned to Mumbai, which has been a less serviced state since the start of the Vande Bharat Mission.

Consul Press, Information, and Culture, Consulate General of India in Dubai Neeraj Agarwal said, "Approximately 100 repatriation flights are planned for the next 23 days, including 50 from Dubai and Sharjah each. If all flights are full, we are looking to evacuate anything between 17,000 to 18,000 passengers in the coming days."

Booking for the newly announced flights will open soon, said Agarwal. "Some of them are already open, and others will be open in the next few days. However, a few flights are subject to slot approvals," he explained.

Commenting on the possibility of flights from India to the UAE, Agarwal said, "We express hope that this too will happen soon."  The flight schedule can be seen here: https://www.mea.gov.in/phase-4.htm

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