Fahd Al-Manaee Saudi Gazette MAKKAH — The Makkah municipality has begun inspecting barbers in Mina and their preparations to receive pilgrims starting from the day of Eid Al-Adha and handle the expected high demand. The municipality had previously prepared the special sites for the barbers, including 2,000 chairs in Mina, especially around the Jamarat area, and implementing the conditions for their operation and maintenance. It has also set the price structure for providing the service and has deployed many field teams to monitor the sites and workers. Abdulsalam Mashat, deputy mayor for services, said the municipality is keen on the safety and health of pilgrims by providing well-equipped sites that are safe and hygienic. Mohammad Al-Fotawi, director of environmental health at the municipality, said the local authorities were keen to ensure cleanliness and safety by constantly monitoring barbers and the places they worked. He said a number of health college students were recruited as additional observers to help the initial 250 inspectors. Mashat said there were enough observers to monitor barbers, especially as the bulk of their work comes on the day of Eid Al-Adha. The municipality said prices for shaving a head should not exceed SR10. The purpose of the municipal monitoring is to prevent bad practices such as working outside the designated areas or reusing the blades multiple times. He said each barber is issued a permit and a health certificate confirming that he is free from diseases, and health authorities examine them before Haj. Health committees formed by Makkah Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also the chairman of the Central Haj Committee, are continuously monitoring pilgrims during Haj to ensure their wellbeing and that there are no contagious diseases.
