SWINE FLU AFFECTS UMRAH TRAFFIC MOVEMENT

Umrah visas are not being issued to pilgrims from Egypt and Malaysia as a precautionary measure to tackle swine flu. The Ministry of Haj issued more than 1.6 million visas for the present Umrah season that began on January 14. Over the past three months, 1.3 million people have come to the Kingdom for Umrah, Abul Majd said. Prince Muhammad Airport in Madinah receives about 4,000 Umrah pilgrims daily, whereas the foreign terminal of the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah receives 3,000 and the Saudia terminal 2,000. New regulations, such as fingerprinting and eye mapping, have been introduced this year to prevent immigration violators from re-entering the Kingdom. The Passport Department has also taken stringent measures against Umrah organising companies that fail to send back pilgrims before their visa expiry dates.