The yearly Hajj pilgrimage, a world amassing attracting over 1.8 million members ultimate 12 months1, is predicted to happen in Saudi Arabia from 14 to 19 June 2024. Because of the massive scale of the development, making sure the well being and protection of all pilgrims calls for a focal point on preventive measures. Meningococcal illness has been reported in travellers getting back from Saudi Arabia, highlighting the significance of adhering to the necessities. Global SOS, the sector’s main well being and safety products and services corporate, encourages organisations with staff taking part within the Hajj pilgrimage to verify their group of workers is conscious about very important precautions for a protected and wholesome religious adventure.
Aligned with the newest well being and protection rules established via the Saudi Arabian government, Global SOS has advanced a complete tenet serious about making sure pilgrims’ well being, safety and wellbeing. The rule outlines a very powerful pre-travel issues together with a number of newly carried out necessities. It highlights the professional allow and vaccination necessities, warmth mitigation methods in addition to selling vigilance and consciousness of setting to verify particular person protection, in particular all the way through crowd surges.
Dr Nosa Aihie, Regional Clinical Director, Center East, at Global SOS, stated:“It will be important for pilgrims to stick to vaccination necessities indexed via the federal government of Saudi Arabia to offer protection to themselves and their friends from quite a lot of infectious illnesses. This contains the desired vaccination towards meningitis administered not more than 3 years and no less than ten days previous to the deliberate arrival in Saudi Arabia. In step with this, pilgrims are steered to hold legitimate well being certificate pointing out they’re unfastened from any acute, persistent or infectious illnesses. Moreover, we recommend scheduling actions to steer clear of height warmth hours each time imaginable and being adequately hydrated all the way through Hajj, as pilgrims would possibly revel in heat-related sicknesses and dehydration.”
Gulnaz Ukassova, Safety Director at Global SOS in Dubai, stressed out the will for thorough pre-travel preparation and compliance with executive directives, pointing out: “It will be important for pilgrims enterprise Hajj to completely perceive and conform to the related Hajj rules previous to, and all the way through, the pilgrimage. Pilgrims must be expecting huge crowds at spiritual websites, in particular at the Jamaarat Bridge in Mina and round Al-Masjid Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca. Stay protected all the way through crowd surges via staying alert to setting, adhering to designated lanes, warding off strolling towards the path of site visitors and realizing the closest emergency exits and evacuation routes. Pilgrims must additionally account for possible journey disruption and higher call for for quite a lot of products and services all the way through this era.”
Hajj 2024 well being and protection tips for organisations and their group of workers to verify the well being and protection of pilgrims:
- Inspire staff enterprise Hajj to acquire vaccinations and well being certification:All pilgrims are required to have evidence of meningococcal illness vaccination. Make sure all regimen vaccinations, together with COVID-19 and seasonal influenza are up-to-the-minute. Relying on their nation of starting place, travellers could also be required to turn evidence of polio and yellow fever vaccination.
o Registration at the ‘Sehaty’ app is necessary to ensure vaccination standing and facilitate access into the rustic for all pilgrims.
- Make sure compliance with rules: Inspire staff to at all times practice steering supplied via approved Hajj operators for a protected and organised pilgrimage. Make sure they adhere to designated time slots allotted via government to assist minimise overcrowding dangers.
- Be offering safety briefings and heightened situational consciousness:Supply pre-departure briefings on safety protocols, situational consciousness practices and cultural sensitivities. Broaden contingency plans to deal with possible journey disruptions all the way through the Hajj.
- Teach staff on dangers of maximum temperatures:To mitigate the results of doubtless excessive temperatures, pilgrims must prioritise staying hydrated. Opting for light-weight and light-coloured clothes is helping keep an eye on frame temperature and decreases warmth tension.
- Make sure crowd and emergency preparedness:Supply staff with crowd control information with pointers for navigating densely populated spaces. Inspire pilgrims to avoid wasting emergency touch data for police, ambulance products and services, embassy officers and native contacts on their cell phones in case fast help is wanted.
