Tomorrow The Hajj Begins, Here Are A Number Of Provisions That The Congregation Must Obey In The Midst Of The COVID-19 Pandemic

Illustration of the implementation of social distancing at the Grand Mosque during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Wikimedia Commons/Prof. Mortel)

JAKARTA - The government of Saudi Arabia is preparing to hold a series of hajj pilgrimages in 2021 which will begin on Saturday, July 17 tomorrow. Authorities said pilgrims would arrive in Makkah from tomorrow morning.

Like last year, this year's Hajj is still being held in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government of Saudi Arabia has also prepared a series of provisions, for the safety and comfort of the congregation.

"All pilgrims must head to the four assembly points, where they will take a bus to the holy mosque of Mecca to begin their pilgrimage," said Major General Zayed Al Tuwan, commander of the Hajj Security Force, citing The National News Thursday, July 15.

Of the total 60 thousand worshipers this year, most will arrive tomorrow and the rest will come on Sunday, July 18. To meet the need for 26,000 trips between the holy sites during this year's Hajj season, Saudi Arabia is preparing a fleet of 2,500 buses.

“No one is allowed to use a private car to go to holy places, even if they have a Hajj permit. Everyone must use the assigned bus," said Major General Al Tuwan.

The Grand Mosque page. (Wikimedia Commons/Prof. Mortel)

To ensure social distancing, the tawaf circle at the Grand Mosque will have 25 lanes, each 1.5 meters apart. The ground floor can accommodate up to 4,770 worshipers at a time, with room for over 1,000 on the second level, and 3,000 on the third level.

After tawaf al qudum, around the Kaaba which must be done by all pilgrims traveling to Makkah, all pilgrims will go to Mina by using the bus that has been provided.

Groups of worshipers will be color coded, either red, black, green or yellow, and each group has a designated bus and separate accommodation.

In previous years, people could walk from Mina to Arafah and then to Muzdalifah while performing Hajj. This year, buses are the only way to get around Makkah this year.

In order to ensure the safety and comfort of the congregation, the authorities are working to ensure that no intruder can enter the Grand Mosque or other holy places. However, people are still allowed to enter Makkah if they are not in the state of Ihram.

"All entry points are secured with police cars and police officers. Even locations far from main roads and settlements such as deserted valleys and mountains and other sites are secured," said Major General Al Tuwan.

"Thermal cameras and surveillance cameras have also been placed in all holy places in the kingdom," he continued, adding that a fine of 10,000 riyals awaits the violators, with the possibility of imprisonment.

Not only that, members of special security units will also be placed in more than 100 locations around the holy city, as well as at security points inside Makkah and entry points to all holy sites.

A series of new technologies were also used to confirm the identity of this year's pilgrims. If the identity card is lost, a fingerprint machine will be used to confirm whether a person is a registered pilgrim or not.

While electronic Hajj permits have been issued to pilgrims for several years, for those working to facilitate Hajj, this is the first year they will also use electronic permits, officials said.