Jeddah, July 07: Haj agencies have registered a steep drop in pilgrims going to Saudi Arabia for Umrah (or the lesser pilgrimage) because of the H1N1 scare.
A religious authority in the UAE has also advised the elderly, pregnant women and asthmatics not to travel to Makkah for Umrah or the annual Haj following guidelines from Saudi Arabia.
“Families are dropping out, especially those with children and the elderly,” said Abdul Rashid of Al Hamar Haj services. “Compared to last year, the drop is 75 per cent this year,” he said.
Dr Mohammad Mattar Al Kaabi, Director-General of Islamic Affairs and Endowment (Awqaf), said pilgrims will be monitored closely.
“We are not vaccinating the pilgrims,” he said.
Al Kaabi has urged people who wish to go to Umrah despite the advice, to wear masks. Those returning will be checked for H1N1 symptoms, he said.
It was earlier reported that Saudi Arabia had instructed Muslim countries to vaccinate their pilgrims against regular flu. But one Haj agency said pilgrims are only given hepatitis B vaccinations.
There is no vaccination against H1N1 yet as the first batch produced by a Swiss pharmaceutical firm is under clinical trials.
Even a regular flu vaccine is not available as the last batch expired in March and a new batch is yet to be imported, pharmacies said.
With the drop in pilgrims, travel agencies are offering substantial discounts. One Ajman-based agency is offering an attractive Umrah package for residents gong home for vacations.
A Dubai-Jeddah-Mumbai ticket is up for grabs for Dh1,200. The ticket is open for a four-day stopover. In comparison, a one-way ticket to Jeddah from the UAE costs Dh 1,150 and goes up to Dh1,800 on certain airlines. The agency will apply for the Umrah visa which costs Dh300.
Many Arab expatriates prefer to go by bus to Makkah the 1,600km journey takes 24 hours.
“Many people have cancelled their trip [to Makkah],” said Mohammad Ragab from Taibah, a Haj and Umrah agency. A number of companies like real estate firms and banks are also not sending their staff this year, he said.
Haj agencies are still crossing their fingers, hoping the rush for Umrah will start as Ramadan begins. There is usually a huge rush during the last 10 days of Ramadan.
Haj will be in November.
-Agencies