Ensure The Safety And Comfort Of The 2022 Hajj: Saudi Arabian Authorities Use Special Bracelets For Children Congregations To Advanced Helicopters

Illustration of pilgrims crowding the Grand Mosque in Mecca. (Wikimedia Commons/Adli Wahid)

JAKARTA - Saudi Arabian authorities are providing bracelets, lanyards and identification for child pilgrims taking part in this year's hajj pilgrimage, under the safety campaign of the Saudi Arabia Agency for Social and Voluntary Services.

Fahad bin Salem Al Hatirishi, director of the Youth Visitor Department, said the agency would offer children maps and bracelets featuring their parents' cell phone numbers, in case they get lost.

"This is done to ensure we remove all obstacles from their path, in accordance with the constant guidance and support of the General President for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque, Abdurrahmah As-Sudais," he said.

Amjad Al Hazmi, Deputy Secretary General of Social and Voluntary Services, said the agency wants to provide the best service to worshipers at the Grand Mosque, to increase social responsibility and care for young visitors, to help ensure their parents can perform Hajj easily and comfortably. .

Previously, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced in February that children under the age of 7 would be allowed to enter the two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah, as long as they had received the COVID-19 vaccination.

Installation of identification bracelets for children congregation. (Source The General Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque via The National News)

In April, the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques launched a program called the Guidance Code, providing wristbands for children who accompany Umrah pilgrims, as well as those who visit the Grand Mosque.

Not only that, the local security authorities also use the latest technology to monitor the movements of pilgrims, to ensure their safety and security. Cameras on the ground and mounted on helicopters flying over the shrine are connected to an operations center where information is analyzed in real time to ensure that emergencies are handled quickly and efficiently.

Citing Arab News, the Presidency of State Security said its state-of-the-art joint operations center is equipped with the latest technology which has increased the level of coordination, between the presidency and other security organizations involved, to ensure this year's Hajj pilgrimage runs smoothly.

The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) is responsible for managing the airspace over the holy sites, apart from supporting other relevant government sectors.

According to the commander of the participating RSAF group, Colonel Khaled bin Abdullah Al-Mutairi, the RSAF team uses several helicopters equipped with the latest technology, also overseeing the air traffic of all aircraft participating in the Hajj missions from other sectors.