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Saudi Arabian News Updates |
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18 May 2009 JEDDAH: Umrah visas are not being
issued to pilgrims from Egypt and Malaysia as a
precautionary measure to tackle swine flu, said an
official from the company that handles pilgrims in the
Kingdom.
“The ban on pilgrims from countries where cases of
swine flu have surfaced has resulted in a considerable
fall in the number of pilgrims coming in recent days,”
said Mahmoud Abul Majd, director of the computer
department at Tasheel United Company. “Only 3,000
pilgrims arrived yesterday, while 10,000 pilgrims used
to arrive daily until a few days ago,” he added.
The Ministry of Haj issued more than 1.6 million
visas for the present Umrah season that began on Jan.
14. Over the past three months, 1.3 million people
have come to the Kingdom for Umrah, Abul Majd said.
Abul Majd commended various regulations in place to
streamline the influx of pilgrims in large numbers.
“The huge numbers of pilgrims arriving at various
entry points daily do not cause any hassles in the
inflow or exit of pilgrims as they are controlled by
the systematic implementation of the regulations.”
He said the Prince Muhammad Airport in Madinah
receives about 4,000 Umrah pilgrims daily, whereas the
foreign terminal of the King Abdulaziz International
Airport in Jeddah receives 3,000 and the Saudia
terminal 2,000.
Abul Majd said new regulations, such as
fingerprinting and eye mapping, have been introduced
this year to prevent immigration violators from
reentering the Kingdom. The Passport Department has
also taken stringent measures against Umrah organizing
companies that fail to send back pilgrims before their
visa expiry dates.
Meanwhile, Talal Al-Thaqfi, director of the Gates
Administration at the General Presidency of the Two
Holy Mosques Affairs, appealed to pilgrims to
cooperate with officials at the holy mosques and
desist from actions that disrupt peaceful worship.
“Bringing any type of food and drinks into the holy
mosques has been banned, but small quantities of qahwa
and dates are exempt from the ban. Baggage and
beddings are not allowed in, he said.
EsinIslam.Com
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