The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in Saudi Arabia announced its readiness to receive the approved quota for the number of pilgrims agreed upon for various Islamic countries before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Ministry of Hajj is currently working to pair its affiliated applications to include all the services provided by the Ministry to the pilgrims and expand the scope of these services in the two applications.
In parallel, the smart card, which knew a major success during the Hajj season, is expected to be issued for pilgrims coming from abroad and would contain all identification and health information and other services.
Dr. Amr Almaddah, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the technologies launched by the Ministry aimed to facilitate procedures for pilgrims and raise the quality of services.
He added that the ministry was working on major projects to develop the technical services and to make electronic platforms the basis for obtaining services and raising their quality, including reducing the waiting period, verifying the identity of the pilgrims and providing e-tickets.
Almaddah stressed that the security of the applications was frequently updated to avoid any hacking or disruption of services.
The Saudi official added that the use of the Ministry’s applications for arriving pilgrims was available to those coming from the Arabian Gulf or on visit and tourism visas, based on the arrival routes and the type of visa, taking into consideration health requirements and necessary quarantine measures.
