The Makkah municipality has equipped and handed over several locations at the holy sites to major national companies specializing in the sale and distribution of food and refrigerators, including bakeries and restaurants.
A total of 1,100 barber booths have been set up in Mina around the Jamarat Bridge and areas adjacent to the Al-Moaasim slaughterhouse.
Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar said 19 locations in Mina would have bakeries, 319 stalls and 100 refrigerator sites. A total of 205 stalls were also set up in Arafat and Muzdalifah.
Al-Bar said the locations were chosen and prepared following studies carried out by the Research Institute of Haj and Umrah at Umm Al-Qura University.
Al-Bar said 27 municipal service centers in Mina with cleaners and environmental sanitation engineers and supervisors would work around the clock to monitor the stalls.
Pilgrims treated
Hospitals and health centers in Makkah and Madinah have treated 158,929 Haj pilgrims for various ailments from Sept. 6 to Oct. 7.
The Health Ministry reported that during this period hospitals and specialized health centers in the two cities conducted 42 cardiac catheterizations, nine digestive endoscopies, one open heart surgery, and 316 dialysis treatments, both blood and peritoneal.
Hospitals admitted 19,229 patients, 10,719 were treated at outpatient clinics, 8,510 benefited from emergency and first aid services, and 139,700 received primary health care services. The Health Ministry's report said that 562 pilgrims left inpatient units.
The Saudi Red Crescent air ambulances are also available. Capt. Abdulrahman Al-Khudairi, director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority, said seven planes are customized for ambulance services and equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment.
The organization has 94 employees, 17 pilots, 51 doctors, nine carriers and 17 support service technicians.
Traffic plan
Haj security officials have introduced several traffic measures to facilitate the movement of pilgrims in Makkah and the holy sites.
Maj. Gen. Abdulrahman Al-Mokbel, deputy commander of the Pilgrimage Security Forces for Traffic, said several areas have been designated for pedestrians, directly connecting Aziziyah with the Jamrat Bridge and an intersection with Arab Street.
Other improvements include connecting Eastern Shoaib with the Jamrat Bridge, unifying the direction of traffic on some roads and opening additional roads.
Al-Mokbel said officers are deployed at the six entrances to Makkah and at the holy sites to prevent the entry of vehicles or buses carrying fewer than 25 passengers. Those vehicles without official Haj permits would be denied entry, he said. The Albhath parking space, which accommodates more than 6,000 buses, is also ready with additional capacity.
