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# 7478
Yesterday (see KSA MOH Updates Health Protection Advice For Umrah & Hajj) Saudi Arabia’s MOH recommended that certain vulnerable groups (e.g. elderly, chronically ill, immunocompromised, pregnant, and children) postpone their Umrah or Hajj plans this year due to the MERS-CoV threat.
Overnight Crof carried an even more assertive report from the Arab Media (see Saudi Arabia: To halt MERS, no Hajj visas for old and sick) which moved these visa exclusions beyond mere `recommendations’.
This is a bit of a turn-around from statements made last month by the Saudi Ministry, which blamed the limiting of visas on `construction issues’ at the Grand Mosque.
It is probably no coincidence that these proactive steps are coming just as international experts are meeting to discuss how to deal with this emerging virus (see WHO On The MERS-CoV Emergency Committee Meeting). A consensus statement is expected late next week.
While no travel restrictions are currently imposed or recommended, that was surely one of the options under discussion.
KSA may be hoping that these preemptive steps will negate the need to impose further restrictions.
As Ramadan is already underway (and runs through August 7th), it is unclear whether these policy changes will impact Umrah visitors this summer.
Public health officials around the globe are on alert for the possibility of seeing travelers returning from Saudi Arabia with the virus (see MMWR: MERS-CoV Update & MERS: Singapore MOH Puts Quarantine Chalets On Standby)
This story, from the FARS news agency, is typical of the coverage this morning.
Saudi Arabia Warns Pilgrims over Coronavirus
TEHRAN (FNA)- Health officials in Saudi Arabia asked pilgrims visiting its holy sites to wear masks in crowded places to stop the spread of the MERS coronavirus.
A list of requirements issued by the health ministry also tells elderly people or those with chronic diseases to postpone their pilgrimage, BBC reported.
Thirty-eight people have died from the virus in Saudi Arabia.
Millions of Muslims from around the world are expected to take part in the Hajj this October.
Once a year, pilgrims make the journey to Mecca in Saudi Arabia and pray together before the Kaaba.
Muslims also travel to the site at other times, as well as visiting the Masjid Al-Nabawi, or Mosque of the Prophet (PBUH), in Medina.
Health officials urged people taking part to maintain personal hygiene standards, use a tissue when sneezing and coughing, and have the necessary vaccinations.
The MERS (Middle East respiratory-syndrome) coronavirus emerged in the Arabian peninsula in September 2012 and is part of a large family of viruses, which includes the common cold and Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome).
The World Health Organization has so far confirmed of a total of 80 cases of infection, including 44 deaths worldwide.
Saudi Arabia introduced requirements for polio immunization certificates in 2003 after fears of a resurgence of the virus.
