KUALA LUMPUR: The flights carrying umrah pilgrims from Malaysia to Saudi Arabia are operating as usual as of 2pm today despite report that the kingdom has imposed a temporary ban on all umrah pilgrims to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the country.
Malaysian Association of Bumiputera Tours and Travel Agents (Bumitra) deputy president Harun KC Ahmmu said information obtained from several travel and umrah agencies under the association, revealed that pilgrims were still allowed to enter the country.
“As at 2pm, everything is still going on as normal and all pilgrims with visa are allowed to depart from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA),“ he told Bernama when contacted, here today.
However, Harun claimed that the online umrah and visit visa registration system had been blocked by the Saudi government earlier this morning.
“The registration system has been blocked since early this morning. For pilgrims who have obtained visas, for this evening’s flight we still do not know what the actual situation is,” he said.
Harun said the association was also collecting information from the 601 companies under it.
“If the Malaysian pilgrim visa is suspended, many companies will be affected. We hope the Saudi government will find the best solution for this matter,” he added.
Meanwhile, Andalusia Travel and Tours Sdn Bhd director Ida Riswana Idris said it was still awaiting official information from the authorities. - Bernama
