Riyadh, Aug 11 (IANS) Saudi Arabia has announced that no epidemic cases have been reported so far this Hajj season.
Minister of Health Tawfiq Al Rabiah said that the health situation of pilgrims is good with no epidemic cases recorded so far, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
He highlighted plans have been carried out in association with other countries to ensure the safety of pilgrims, Xinhua reported.
“There are more than 2 million pilgrims from over 102 countries who gather together within limited areas, and therefore, it is necessary for the Hajj season to be free of contagious diseases,” he added.
The General Authority for Statistics said in a statement on Saudi Press Agency on Saturday that foreign pilgrims reached 1,855,027 and domestic pilgrims totalled 632,133 until 9 am local time.
Saudi Arabia has allocated 25 hospitals for pilgrims in Mecca, Medina and other holy sites with more than 5,000 beds.
There are also more than 30,000 health specialists to serve pilgrims. Rabiah said that representatives from the World Health Organisation are following up on the efforts of the kingdom in providing health services for pilgrims.
–IANS
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