Egypt’s Minister of Awqaf (Religious Endowments) Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa has called on pilgrims to avoid “raising political topics and arguments,” and was quoted as saying, “everyone abroad thinks that no one watches them; they should realise that we live in a small world.”
Gomaa added in a meeting on Sunday with preachers and ministry employees accompanying the Hajj mission to Saudi Arabia that “citizens living abroad sensed the positive changes in Egypt recently,” asserting that the country “restored its international and regional position.”
Meanwhile, Ayman Abdel Mawgoud, the director of the National Foundation to Facilitate Hajj and Umrah, which is affiliated to the Ministry of Social Solidarity, said that “pilgrims groups continue to arrive (to Saudi Arabia) until 14 August.”
The Ministry of Health has advised pilgrims in a statement to take necessary precautions during their pilgrimage to avoid infectious diseases.
Furthermore, the ministry announced on Monday the death of an Egyptian pilgrim from a heart attack, the second one since the groups started heading to Saudi Arabia.
Every year, dozens of older pilgrims die of infectious diseases, pushing, and crowding. Hence, the ministry has issued a series of health advice to help in reducing mortality, as well as carrying out medical examinations for all pilgrims.
