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While a good deal of public relations efforts have been directed towards convincing religious pilgrims of the safety of making the Hajj this year (see Tabung Haji Assures Pilgrims Not To Worry About MERS-CoV), Saudi Arabia continues to advise that children, the elderly, pregnant women, and anyone with chronic medical conditions postpone their Hajj journey due to concerns over MERS.
Today, however, the media is reporting that the Philippine Department of Health is urging all potential Hajjis to postpone their trip until next year – when, presumably – MERS will be under better control.
Philippines urges its Muslims to abort Hajj due to MERS
July 3, 2014 2:40 pm
The Philippines urged its large Muslim minority on Thursday to reconsider plans to join pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia this year due to a deadly virus outbreak there.
About 6,500 Filipinos who are set to join the annual Hajj pilgrimage in October are being urged to go next year instead, when the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is expected to be under control, health department spokesman Lyndon Lee Suy said.
“We know it’s a religious custom, but it is also our duty to provide health advisories,” Lee Suy told AFP.
“It’s an appeal for them to delay the trip if possible due to the MERS virus…. If possible, they should go next year.”
(Continue . . . )
Last month Morocco's health minister, Lahoucine Louardi, also reportedly advised Muslims in his country not to go on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia this year (see CIDRAP NEWS With MERS threat, Morocco advises against Hajj). Most nations – including the United States – are simply urging travelers to practice enhanced precautions (see CDC Updated Travel Advice For Umrah & Hajj).
All able bodied Muslims are required to make at least one major pilgrimage to Mecca during their lifetime, at the time of the hajj. This is known as the fifth pillar of Islam, and is one of the duties incumbent upon all Muslims.
The faithful may also make `lesser pilgrimages’, called omra (or Umrah), at other times of the year. These minor pilgrimages don’t absolve the faithful of making the hajj journey unless they take place during Ramadan (ongoing now, through the end of July).
As a result, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) receives more than 7 million visitors each year, with most of them arriving during the month of Ramadan and during the Hajj in October.
The waiting list for obtaining a Hajj visa can exceed a decade in some countries, making any decision to postpone a pilgrimage an extraordinarily difficult one.
