Cairo: Waiting halls for the Umrah pilgrims have been launched at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca as part of a new expansion to the sacred site, Saudi media said.
The new halls, part of the King Fahad expansion project, can accommodate about 2,000 pilgrims at one time to ease congestion when tracks for the circumambulation ritual around the Holy Kaaba become full of worshippers, a Saudi official said.
“The halls were opened to facilitate the process of assembling the Umrah pilgrims in groups and directing them to the waiting halls,” head of the Pilgrim Grouping Directorate at the Grand Mosque, Eng. Osama Al Hejeili, said.
“This aims to protect worshippers’ safety and help them perform their rituals smoothly and easily,” he added.
Distancing signs are put on the floor of the new halls as part of precautions against the coronavirus spread, the official said.
The capacity of the Grand Mosque has been increased to reach 50,000 Umrah pilgrims and 100,000 worshippers per day for the month of Ramadan.
In October, Saudi Arabia set into motion a plan for gradual resumption of the Umrah or minor pilgrimage after suspension of around seven months amid stringent health precautions.
The first phase of the plan, which began on October 4, allowed 6,000 Umrah pilgrims from inside the kingdom per day into the mosque.
The second went into effect on October 18, allowing about 40,000 worshippers and 10,000 pilgrims a day into the site. As many as 20,000 Umrah pilgrims and 60,000 worshipers per day were allowed into the mosque according to the third phase that started in November.
