MAKKAH: The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques is distributing wristbands to children accompanying their parents to avoid being lost.
The wristband displays the name of the child and the contact numbers of their parents to help authorities reach them out should they become separated from the child.
Khalid bin Fahad Al-Shalawi, undersecretary-general for social, voluntary and humanitarian services at the presidency, told Arab News: “The initiative ... supports parents and their children to perform their rituals peacefully.”
A wristband displays the name of the child and contact information for the parents, so that authorities can reach them in case they become separated. (Supplied)
Abdulrahman Al-Zahrani, a psychologist, said: “Families used to be very concerned about when it comes to visiting the Grand Mosque with their children, as they were worried about them getting lost in crowds.
“The smart wristbands contributed to the comfort the visitors of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque needed, and thus, provided them with adequate and satisfactory service to perform their rituals peacefully.”
Rania Shoudary, a volunteer at the Grand Mosque, said: “The technique used in the initiative contributes to solving many problems. (For instance,) hotels adjacent to the Grand Mosque are welcoming children in specialized kindergartens supervised by the Ministry of Education. The kindergartens are monitored by authorities and have security cameras.”
Shoudary added: “The authority has wide and extensive experience in guiding lost visitors. Authorities were able to find lost children in record times thanks to the large presence of security individuals in each and every corner (of the Two Holy Mosques).”
