MAKKAH – Starting next year, pilgrims from within the Kingdom will also be required to put on wristbands in order to differentiate between them and illegal pilgrims, announced Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Khudairi, undersecretary at the Makkah governorate. He told Al-Watan Arabic daily that the new measure will allow authorities to recognize illegal pilgrims who sleep in the streets at the holy sites and obstruct the movement of pilgrims. The wristband will display complete information about the pilgrim. Al-Khudairi added: “It's very important to impose strict penalties on illegal pilgrims if we want to put an end to this negative trend.” He cited the latest regulations regarding the entry of minibuses to the holy sites as an example. He said Haj authorities launched awareness campaigns well ahead of time to educate drivers about the new regulations that ban vehicles with a capacity of 25 passengers and less from transporting pilgrims to the holy sites. After that, penalties were imposed on violators. — SG
