Saturday, July 13, 2013

No Haj Visas For Elderly And Sick To Prevent Mers-Coronavirus

Sick and elderly Malaysians will not be going for the Haj this year. This was made clear when the Saudi Arabian government announced that no visas will be granted to them because they will be the ones most at risk of falling victim to the deadly MERS virus.

Source from (Bernama): http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/ge/newsgeneral.php?id=963058
Published: July 15, 2013

Source from (The Malaysian Insider): http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/sick-and-elderly-malaysians-cant-go-for-the-haj/
Published: July 15, 2013

Ministry spokesman, Khalid Al-Mirghalani said the restrictions will be applicable to the forthcoming Haj in October and subsequent Umrah seasons, Xinhua news agency reported citing local media on Saturday.

Saudi missions abroad will follow similar instructions, said the spokesman.

He said chronic diseases were to include diabetes and other illnesses involving the heart, kidneys and respiratory system.

The rule does not stipulate an age limit but elderly people who are medically unfit to travel will not be considered for pilgrimage visas.

The MERS-CoV has affected 66 people in Saudi Arabia and claimed 38 lives since last September.

--BERNAMA

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