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COVID-19 Mitigation Plans During Hajj 2020: A Success Story of Zero Cases
Hani Jokhdar1, Anas Khan1, Sari Asiri1
1Hani Jokhdar, MBBS, MSc, PhD, is Deputy Minister for Public Health; Anas Khan, MBBS, MHA, SBEM, is Director General, Global Center for Mass Gatherings Medicine; Sari Asiri, MBBS, SBFM, is Director General, Hajj and Umrah Health Services; Wael Motair, MBBS, SBU, is Director General, Health Affairs, Makkah Region; Abdullah Assiri, MBBS, FACP, is Assistant Deputy Minister for Preventive Health; and Mohammed Alabdulaali, is Assistant Minister; all in the Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Anas Khan is also Associate Professor, Emergency and Disaster Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Insights
Saudi Arabia successfully managed the 2020 Hajj pilgrimage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Strict risk mitigation prevented any confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases among pilgrims and staff.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Global Health Security
Background:
- The Hajj pilgrimage is a massive global gathering with over 2.5 million attendees from 180+ countries.
- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia identified significant risks of COVID-19 transmission during the 2020 Hajj.
- Mass gatherings pose a substantial threat for disease superspreading during pandemics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of risk mitigation strategies implemented during the 2020 Hajj pilgrimage.
- To assess the success of preventing COVID-19 outbreaks in a large-scale religious gathering.
- To highlight Saudi Arabia's efforts in safeguarding pilgrims and global health security.
Main Methods:
- A multidisciplinary team from Saudi governmental sectors, including the Global Center for Mass Gatherings Medicine, was formed.
- A risk assessment, planning, and execution framework was implemented for the Hajj event.
- A cohort of 1,000 pilgrims from 160 countries was randomly selected for close monitoring.
Main Results:
- No confirmed cases of COVID-19 were identified among the 1,000 selected pilgrims.
- No COVID-19 cases were detected among healthcare personnel and nonmedical staff facilitating the Hajj.
- The implemented risk mitigation plan was successful in preventing disease spread during the pilgrimage.
Conclusions:
- The 2020 Hajj pilgrimage demonstrated successful disease prevention strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Saudi Arabia's proactive measures protected pilgrims and contributed to regional and global health security.
- Effective management of mass gatherings is crucial for controlling infectious disease spread during global health crises.
Abstract:
The Hajj pilgrimage, held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is among the largest mass gatherings in the world. More than 2.5 million Muslim pilgrims assemble from over 180 countries worldwide to perform Hajj. The Saudi government recognized the potential risks associated with this event since the first novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case was detected in the country on March 2, 2020. The return of possibly infected pilgrims to their countries after this huge mass gathering event could have turned Hajj into a superspreading event during the global COVID-19 pandemic. A multidisciplinary Saudi team from governmental sectors, including the Global Center for Mass Gatherings Medicine, shared in the assessment, planning, execution, and success of this holy event to prevent the spread of disease. The World Health Organization welcomed the Saudi government's decision to protect the wellbeing and safety of pilgrims and strengthen regional and global health security. A total of 1,000 pilgrims from 160 different countries were randomly selected to perform the rituals. Of all the pilgrims, healthcare personnel, and nonmedical employees facilitating the rituals, no confirmed cases of COVID-19 were identified during or after Hajj. This article highlights the success of the risk mitigation plan in place during the Hajj pilgrimage in 2020 (1441 Hijri year) during the COVID-19 pandemic and the efforts of the Saudi government to prevent associated outbreaks.
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