Saudi Arabia will screen pilgrims for HIV, not swine flu
Saudi Arabia will not bar pilgrims from countries that have reported cases of swine flu in the coming Umrah, or “minor pilgrimage” season, its aviation authority said on Tuesday.
Instead, the aviation authority said in a statement posted on its website, it would screen all would-be pilgrims for HIV infection.
Mohammed Nur Rahimi, the head of the authority, said the kingdom would follow advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) not to close airports, but rather to impose “strict preventative measures at airports”.
Saudi Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabia on Sunday confirmed the kingdom had seen no cases of swine flu. He said the government would study what measures Gulf countries could take to prevent an outbreak of the virus in the region.
Cairo’s al-Masry al-Youm newspaper on Saturday had reported that the number of Egyptians performing the Umrah pilgrimage this May had dropped by 60% compared to last year, following Egyptian Health Minister Hatem Elgabaly’s suggestion that Egyptians might consider delaying making the pilgrimage because of swine flu.
Every year, more than three million Muslims from around the world make the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca, in which they symbolically re-enact events from the lives of the patriarch Abraham and his wife Nagar.
Even in ordinary years, many return with symptoms of the flu or other illnesses after coming in close contact with pilgrims from far-flung countries.
Unlike the Hajj pilgrimage, which every Muslim must undertake if he is able, Umrah is not obligatory.—Sapa-dpa
