Hawzah News Agency (Mashhad - Iran) - Astan Quds Razavi’s Center for International Affairs has performed coronavirus tests on 800 foreign pilgrims in cooperation with AQR’s medical centers, says Hoj. Mohammad Ali Movahedi Mohassel the director in charge of the center.

Hoj. Movahedi said: “Rendering appropriate services to the pilgrims has been a main mission of AQR; therefore, the organization hosted all groups of foreign pilgrims since the outbreak of the virus in Mashhad in March and provided them with many other services”.

He said: “Through all-out cooperation and collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ office in eastern Iran and also with the general governorate of Khorasan Razavi, AQR has done all its best to settle foreign pilgrims’ problems concerning coronavirus-related issues”.

Director of AQR’s Center for International Affairs referred to the activities of his respective office in returning these groups of pilgrims and said: “Necessary arrangements for returning 600 pilgrims home have been made and efforts are underway for the return of the rest”.

Noting that most of the remaining pilgrims are from Bahrain, he added: “The center has provided these pilgrims with accommodation and food since March 8th and it is now trying to conduct religious and cultural programs during Ramadan”.

The remaining foreign pilgrims are from Pakistan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, and Iraq.