After performing their religious duties in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for 40 days, 390 haj pilgrims who had departed from the Medan embarkation point arrived safely at Kualanamu International Airport in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, early on Thursday.

North Sumatra deputy governor Nurhajizah Marpaung welcomed the arrival of the pilgrims from Medan and Labuhanbatu. 

Nurhajizah said one of the Medan embarkation point’s first batch of pilgrims, namely Yuliana Muhid Abdullah binti Muhid, a Medan resident, passed away during the pilgrimage. 

In a welcoming ceremony at the Medan haj dormitory on Thursday, Iwan Kurniawan, a representative of the Health Ministry, congratulated the pilgrims and asked them to maintain their health.

He reminded them to continue to check their health conditions over the next 14 days at their nearest community health centers by using their haj pilgrim cards. 

“With their safe arrival, we hope the haj pilgrims can become health agents, in which they are willing to share tips and tricks with would-be-pilgrims so they can make better preparations before their departure on the haj,” said Iwan. (ebf)