During the Hajj pilgrimage this year, we will encounter two problems -- the COVID-19 pandemic and extreme temperature.Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Health Ministry has appealed to Indonesian Hajj pilgrims to remain disciplined in following the COVID-19 health protocols during their pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
"During the Hajj pilgrimage this year, we will encounter two problems -- the COVID-19 pandemic and extreme temperature," head of the ministry’s Hajj Health Center, Budi Sylvana, said at an online press conference, accessed from Jakarta on Thursday.
During the pilgrimage, the Indonesian Hajj pilgrims will interact with people from more than 100 countries. Therefore, they must be disciplined in following the health protocols, he said.
"They will be highly susceptible to communicable diseases unless they follow the health protocols. Moreover, we know that not all countries have good immunity status," he highlighted.
Indonesia is one of the good countries in terms of the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Indonesian Hajj pilgrims must continue to stay alert during their pilgrimage.
According to Sylvana, nearly 95 percent of the 100,051 Indonesian Hajj pilgrims have been fully vaccinated, or have received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 95.7 percent have received the meningitis shot.
“We are optimistic. Insya Allah (God willing), all Indonesian Hajj pilgrims will have been fully vaccinated until the day of their departure,” he added.
“If any of the Hajj pilgrims have not met the vaccine requirements until the day of their departure they are not likely to be dispatched,” he said.
Related news: 95.7% of Indonesia's Hajj pilgrims have fulfilled health requirements
“This (vaccination) is mandatory from Saudi authorities,” he stressed.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs on Wednesday dispatched as many as 325 Hajj pilgrimage officers, who are members of the 2022 Hajj Organizing Committee (PPIH), to Saudi Arabia.
The 325 officers comprise 206 officers from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and related agencies and 119 officers from the Ministry of Health, Director General of Hajj and Umrah at the Ministry of Religious Affairs Hilman Latief informed in a written statement received here on Wednesday.
The officers have been dispatched to provide services to Indonesian Hajj pilgrims during their pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, he said.
This year, Saudi Arabia has opened the Hajj pilgrimage for one million pilgrims from various countries. Indonesia has been allotted a quota of 100,051 for the pilgrimage.
Related news: Some 35.81% of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims have high health risk: govt
Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Suharto
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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