Riyadh, June 23, 2020, SPA -- The Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Mohammad bin Saleh Benten has emphasized that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has the honor of serving millions of pilgrims every year by facilitating all procedures to enable all Muslims of different nationalities to perform Hajj. It also has provided them with the best health and security services. He added that all of this emanates from the follow-up from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. This came during a virtual joint press conference held today with the Minister of Health Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah. The Minister of Hajj and Umrah pointed out that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has served more than 150 million pilgrims during the past ten years, and with the outbreak of COVID-19 in more than 180 countries worldwide, the Ministry of Health has made it clear that the risks of this pandemic are still continuing given the lack of a vaccine to date. He added that in order to maintain global health security, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia decided to hold Hajj this year in 1441H with a limited number of pilgrims from all nationalities residing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Minister clarified that to ensure the safety of pilgrims, extraordinary executive plans were made to organize Hajj 1441H, taking into account the medical requirements starting from the health isolation of pilgrims before and after they perform Hajj, providing a healthy environment, and the space required for a safe distance in pilgrims’ residence and in the holy sites. The plans also included specific routes for pilgrims to the Grand Holy Mosque, to ensure adherence to health standards set by the Ministry of Health, in addition to applying the highest international standards for nutrition. The Minister concluded by saying that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is honored to serve millions of pilgrims annually and this decision stems from the top priority that Saudi Arabia accords to maintain the safety of pilgrims on its land until they depart to their countries. We ask Allah the Almighty to protect all countries from this pandemic and keep all humans protected and safe. --More 15:19 LOCAL TIME 12:19 GMT 0015 www.spa.gov.sa/w1355907