MINA: The Kingdom has declared this Haj season 2009 to be wholly free from infectious and communicable diseases, Health Minister Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said on Sunday.
“Based on the decision of the Haj Health Committee it is my pleasure to announce that this year’s Haj was safe and successful with no infectious disease outbreaks,” he said.
He also said five deaths were recorded and 73 cases of swine flu.
Meanwhile, Gen. Saad bin Abdullah Al-Tuwaijri, director general of the Civil Defense, announced on Sunday that there was a big drop in the number of accidents this Haj season compared to previous years.
“The huge drop in the number of accidents is mainly attributed to the completion of the 5-story Jamrat Bridge and the expansion of Arafat area by more than 30 percent,” he said.
Al-Tuwaijri said these projects have further boosted the capabilities of the Civil Defense and other government organs enabling them to carry out their tasks efficiently.
“They also enabled the pilgrims to perform the Haj rites in ease and comfort,” he added.
Al-Tuwaijri said the government has supplied the Civil Defense with advanced tools and equipment exclusively for use during Haj.
“These equipment constitute a strategic storage to be used in the event of major accidents,” he said.
Al-Tuwaijri said the stockpile of rescue and firefighting equipment further cemented the resources of the Civil Defense and enabled it to plan its work in advance and be ready for all emergencies day and night.
He said the Civil Defense would continue its arrangements in Makkah and Madinah until the pilgrims leave for home after successfully performing the Haj.
On his part, Maj. Gen. Suleiman Al-Amro, commander of Civil Defense’ Haj operations, said the plan of precautionary measures carried out by the Civil Defense consisted of thorough calculation of all possible dangers through monitoring, sensing and analyzing of risks benefiting from previous years’ experiments.
“Our plan emphasized on reinforcing preventive measures. This is why we did not see any major events affecting the safety and security of pilgrims,” he said.
