Dubai(AE-DU): The vast white marble floors surrounding Islam’s holiest website, the cube-shaped Kaaba in Mecca, would usually be packed with hundreds of large number of pilgrims from across the globe the day before the Hajj.
On Tue., although, only some authorities & labour putting last minute preparations in place have been witnessed in the Grand Mosque housing the Kaaba.
Instead of the 2.five mln pilgrims who preformed the Hajj previous year, only a quite limited no. of faithful anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 are being permitted to take (2) part in what’s mostly a symbolic pilgrimage amidst the COVID-19 outburst.
Self-isolation
The select quite a few sanctioned for this yr.’s Hajj were tested for the infection & are self-isolating in restaurant rooms in Mecca, where they’ll experience an ancient pilgrimage albeit tailored this yr. for a modern-day global epidemic.
Amr Al-Maddah, the chief scheduling official in the Ministry of Hajj, is contributing incorporate the latest technology into the pilgrimage like thermal scanners & electronic ID cards.
Now, technology is our black horse to developing the whole hajj journey, stated al-Maddah, an electronics engineer with a PhD in robotics & artificial intelligence.
We’re taking each step possible to ensure that this hajj going to end with zero instances of COVID-19 & also with zero demises in our overall hajj numbers, he informed The Associated Press.
Wristbands & thermal scanners
Before pilgrims can even enter Mecca, they have been given wristbands by this Saudi Arabia health ministry to monitor their own movements & make sure the mandatory isolation has been noticed. Thermal scanners are being utilized around the holy websites to monitor citizens’s temperatures.
Every pilgrim is assigned to a crowd of about 20 remaining. A crowd leader going to guide them during the hajj to every destination in a specified time, to avoid crowding in places like the Grand Mosque, where Muslims circle the Kaaba & follow a path travelled by this Prophet Abraham’s spouse, Hagar, who Muslims believe ran between 2 hills searching for water for her dying son.
High-tech ID cards
Awhile on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his own final sermon nearly 1,400 yrs. back & where pilgrims going to spend Thu. in deep prayer & repentance, the pilgrims going to be wearing high-tech ID cards that connect to an application on their own phones.
The card & application allows the govt to easily monitor the pilgrims, & imparts them a way to approach out to their own crowd leader & make special food appeals.
The card stores the pilgrims’ personal info, health status, home & different hajj-related information. Within the future, al-Maddah stated the cards going to be fitted with a spot tracker to follow person pilgrims’ movements. The tracker going to be managed by a curb room, & could be utilized as a pay card instead of money.
Special attire with silver nano technology
Pilgrims have also being given special attire to wear during this hajj enlaced with silver nano technology that helps murder bacteria & makes clothes water resistant. Al-Maddah stated the measure is a precaution, even in case it could impact almost nothing” (or) has a minimal opportunity of enhancing health circumstances.”
It’s all part of the special medication pilgrims are getting this yr.. Different perks all meals, restaurant accommodation, transportation & healthcare is made payment for by this Saudi Arabia govt. Usually, the hajj could cost large number of dollars for pilgrims who safeguard for a lifetime for the journey.
This yr. marks the for the first time in nearly a century of Saudi Arabia rule over Mecca that citizens from outdoor the kingdom won’t take (2) part within the five-day hajj, that is a once in a lifetime requirement of Muslims.
Al-Maddah, who sits on the hajj scheduling committee, stated allowing citizens to enter Saudi from abroad would’ve posed a global health risk.