"I do not want anyone taking it easy, no matter how much experience they have in organizing the pilgrimage," he said, according to a written statement issued by the ministry here on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs has announced that for the 2022 Hajj, Indonesia can send as many as 100,501 pilgrims and 1,901 officers. The first batch of Hajj pilgrims will depart on June 4, 2022.
Qoumas emphasized that fast and careful actions are needed for preparing Hajj services.
"This time, we must work hard so that Hajj implementation runs well and smoothly," he stressed.
Director general of Hajj and Umrah at the ministry, Hilman Latief, explained that the arrangements for Hajj services include the preparation of officers, transportation facilities, accommodation, visa processing, manasik (Hajj rehearsal) guidance, insurance management, and vaccination of pilgrims.
Related news: Indonesia's Hajj pilgrim quota set at 100,051
"We have prepared the steps for the departure. We have arranged the steps in accordance with the target that the minister has announced to the public, namely June 4, 2022, for the first departure," Latief said.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia had announced that the 2022 Hajj would be opened for foreign pilgrims under several conditions.
One condition is that the pilgrims must be a maximum of 65 years old and have received a full dose of a COVID-19 vaccination approved by the Saudi Ministry of Health.
Next, pilgrims traveling from abroad must have a certificate showing a negative result for a PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to departure.
Related news: Ministry asks regional offices to disseminate Hajj age limit
Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
