Saudi Arabia has announced its Hajj operating strategy for this year’s pilgrimage.

Sheikh Dr. Abdurrahman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais, President of the General Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, and acting Minister of Media Dr. Majid Bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi announced the operational plan for the 1442 H Hajj season (2021).

Al-Qasabi said the country’s authorities and people are honoured to serve the Two Holy Mosques and those who come to them as pilgrims or guests, speaking through videoconference.

“The administration of the Kingdom has enabled all involved sectors in the nation to facilitate pilgrim service, and to harness all security, safety, and health capacities to facilitate services (that allow) pilgrims to conduct the Hajj rites with ease,” he said.
According to Al-Qasabi, this year’s Hajj trip will be the second to take place under the unusual circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will take place while new coronavirus strains develop.
According to Arab News, he said that the decision to limit Hajj to 60,000 pilgrims, all of whom are from inside the Kingdom, is intended to safeguard them and guarantee that their rites are carried out as securely as possible.

According to Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, president of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, the authority is working to ensure that all possible health precautions are in place, as well as that the Hajj rituals can be performed, the experience is enhanced, and proper hospitality is provided in accordance with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. He went on to say that the presidency’s plans are built on six pillars that emphasise the importance of charity and hospitality in delivering services to pilgrims.

Al-Sudais stated that the president will hand out bottles of disinfected Zamzam water to pilgrims in need of water.

In accordance with cautious measures, the newest artificial intelligence technology would be used to distribute the water utilising robots and high-tech smart cars, he added.

The presidency, according to Al-Sudais, will offer over 800 manual and electric cars to enable people move around the Grand Mosque and its courtyards, making it simpler for the elderly and disabled pilgrims to fulfil their rites.

Al-Sudais also disclosed that 5,000 employees have been hired to sanitise the Grand Mosque, its courtyards, and other facilities ten times a day, using over 60,000 litres of disinfectant and cutting-edge cleaning technology.

The presidency also intends to offer presents, like as umbrellas and sterilisers, that will make pilgrims’ rites easier, safer, and more comfortable.

He went on to say that the presidency’s plans, which were developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and other relevant agencies, involve expanding the number of pilgrim routes within the mosque.

The sermons at the Two Holy Mosques, as well as the sermon on Arafat Day, will be translated into ten languages for “almost 100 million listeners,” according to Al-Sudais.