Saudi authorities have stepped up preventative measures against the coronavirus at the Masjid al-Haram in the holy city of Makkah.
Disinfection teams are working around the clock to ensure that umrah pilgrimage worshippers perform their rituals smoothly.
Assistant Undersecretary for Services Affairs at the General Presidency for the affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque Abdulhamid al-Maliki, said the agency was prepared to work with concerned health authorities to tackle any virus outbreaks.
Health and service plans will be prepared to confront all possible scenarios, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
He said the Services Affairs has mobilized teams to disinfect the Masjid al-Haram and they are carrying out their duties tirelessly and around the clock.
Coordination is ongoing with government and civil agencies to distribute medical face masks and disinfectants, he added.
Teams have also been carrying out awareness campaigns, in all possible languages, among the Umrah performers to inform them of the necessary preventative measures against the coronavirus.
The carpets at the Masjid al-Haram are disinfected daily with environmentally friendly material, said head of the Masjid al-Haram carpets disinfection management, Jaber al-Wadaani.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that six washing machines have been made available as a precaution against any possible virus outbreak.
The worshippers can rest easy and perform their rituals in a very clean and disinfected environment even in the yard where no carpets are placed on the ground, he stressed, revealing that 4,000 workers are responsible for the entire cleaning process.
