The General Authority for the Care of the Two Holy Mosques has confirmed the allocation of all human and mechanical resources at the Grand Mosque to facilitate services during Friday prayers. The authority's preparations for pilgrims and worshippers attending Friday prayers include providing 5,000 regular and electric wheelchairs connected through the "Transport" application. Structured plans will be implemented, which include intensifying regular disinfection operations, supervising the duties of the wheelchair attendants, offering guidance at the mosque's entrances to direct worshippers to their designated areas, organizing the entry and exit of worshippers, and assisting security personnel in directing worshippers when prayer areas reach capacity and in the event of any crowding.
Additionally, the authority is amplifying its efforts to guide worshippers to their designated prayer areas through qualified staff regulating the outdoor spaces and pathways to ensure visitor comfort, based on operational conditions around the clock. Moreover, 200 qualified Saudi supervisors will monitor field operations involving 4,000 workers and staff to clean the Grand Mosque ten times daily across all areas.
Field plans during Friday prayers will prepare the entrances and pathways of the Grand Mosque, organize the entry of visitors through escalators, and coordinate with operations to direct worshippers to upper floors and pilgrims to the Tawaf area according to the approved presidential plan. The preparations also include ensuring no sitting in pathways leading to the Tawaf area or Sa'i and not sitting behind the Maqam (standing place of the Imam), as well as ensuring the readiness of safety measures, effectiveness of fire suppression systems, alarm devices, pedestrian safety, and readiness of emergency plans in case of rain or weather changes.
Furthermore, the authority has mobilized a field engineering team supported by technical and administrative staff, expertise, and experience to prepare the sound system and ensure its functionality in the muezzin's loudspeakers, the Imam's prayer area, and sound outlets related to the Friday sermon. Necessary technical tests for loudspeakers and their equipment will be conducted in advance of Friday prayers. Maintenance and testing of electronic, electrical, and mechanical systems in the Grand Mosque and its facilities are ongoing, covering all maintenance operations and necessary tests to ensure systems' readiness, including the sound system, uninterruptible power systems, 2,353 fire alarm sensors and breakers, as well as checking the functionality of all air conditioning units (AHUs) and measuring temperatures within prayer areas to ensure cooling efficiency in relation to external temperatures.
