THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT THIS YEAR'S HAJJ HAS BEEN SAFE AND FREE FROM EPIDEMIC AND QUARANTINE DISEASES, NOTING THAT THE HEALTH CONDITION OF PILGRIMS HAS BEEN SATISFACTORY IN GENERAL, THE MINISTER OF HEALTH DR. HAMAD BIN ABDULLAH AL-MANE' SAID IN A STATEMENT. IN PRESS REMARKS, HE CONSIDERED THE EMERGENCY TOWER BUILT THIS YEAR IN MINA AS A MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENT AND CIVILIZATION LANDMARK, ADDING THAT THE TOWER HAS BEEN AS A REFERENCE HOSPITAL IN THE HOLY PLACES DUE TO ITS MODERN MEDICAL EQUIPMENT. DR. AL-MANE INDICATED THAT ALL CASES RECEIVED BY THE MINISTRY'S SECTORS IN MAKKAH AND THE HOLY PLACES DURING THE LAST DAYS HAVE BEEN INDIVIDUAL AND NORMAL AND THEY HAVE BEEN TREATED. THE HEALTH MINISTER NOTED THAT NEARLY 10,000 MEDICAL PERSONNEL HAVE BEEN IN THIS YEAR'S HAJJ, INDICATING THAT PREPARATIONS FOR THE NEXT YEAR'S HAJJ WILL START ON SATURDAY.