Saudi travel ban: Pilgrims in limbo

Those seeking to visit the holy lands this March told to wait it out

SCORES of South African Muslims seeking to embark on a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia are in limbo as the Kingdom has this week placed a temporary suspension on travel visas in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The SA Muslim Travel Association (Samta) said about 2 000 pilgrims who have contacted their agencies around the country to make arrangements to visit the holy city of Mecca and the sacred site in Medina since the announcement was made on Thursday, have been told to wait it out.

“Our agencies have been informed to tell those who want to visit the Kingdom to wait until they give us the go ahead,” Samta spokesperson Ismail Olla said.

He said although it was a major inconvenience for those were hoping to undertake Umrah, an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of the year, it was a necessary precautionary measure amidst the global spreading of COVID-19.

“This is just a temporary block on travel to Saudi Arabia as the Kingdom tries to isolate their borders from the virus.”

He said airlines such as Emirates and the country’s national carrier Saudia would refund those who already booked their flights until March 14.

Olla said they expected more people to be turned away from travelling to the Kingdom in the interim, as thousands of South Africans usually descend on the sacred Middle East country in March for Umrah purposes due to the school and public holidays.

It was still unclear what travel restrictions would be in place in Saudi Arabia during the month of Ramadaan (from April 23) as well as Hajj (in July), a mandatory religious duty for Muslims during a specific time of the year.

“We don’t know what will happen during that time and we can only wait and see.

“We urge those who want to travel to the Kingdom to be patient.”

But Ridwaan Gangat who owns Al-Hussam Travel in Joburg, insisted the coronavirus has not been identified in Saudi Arabia and that the Umrah and visa restrictions were just a precautionary measure.

He believes the number of people who have been recently turned away from visiting the Kingdom could possibly be much higher as many have made arrangements ahead of the announcement this week.

He believes the current ban was necessary as there is a high possibility of contracting the virus during Umrah, even if just one person had been infected.

“There is a high volume of people who visit the Kingdom at any given time and they are all in close proximity to each other which means that if someone has the coronavirus, it could spread very easily,” said Gangat.

But this has not deterred interest in the Kingdom.

The biggest effect of the ban would be felt in Durban, the largest market for Umrah in South Africa.

“Normally we find that 50% of travellers come from Durban,” said Sedick Steenkamp, president of the SA Travel Hajj and Umrah Operators Association (Sathuoa).

Steenkamp said about 1 000 pilgrims would not be able to make their way to Saudi Arabia at the moment.

The SA Hajj and Umrah Council of SA (SAHUC) said the decision by the Saudi Arabian government, would prevent scores of Muslims from across the globe from making the pilgrimage to the holy Islamic land.

“We urge those who want to travel to the Kingdom to be patient.

Ismail Olla SA MUSLIM TRAVEL ASSOCIATION

“Muslims from around the world are also not allowed to enter at this point in time. There’s no indication of how long the suspension will last,” said Moaaz Casoo, secretary-general of Hajj and Umrah Council of South Africa (SAHUC).

He said the peak seasons for travel to Mecca were usually during school holidays, although devotees visited the land every month.

He added that it was difficult to give an exact figure for how many people would not be able to make the journey because of the visa ban.

SAHUC president Shaheen Essop said the organisation was satisfied with the decision taken by the Saudi government.

“They are doing what is necessary for the protection of their own citizens as well as that of the visiting pilgrims. It will, of course, impact those who have made bookings, but we are confident that operators and pilgrims will sort it out,” he said.

Essop added that a group of South Africans who were left stranded in Dubai following the announcement of the temporary ban, returned home overnight and were back in the country.

“We were just about to start issuing visas when the suspension came in so we cannot say exactly how many people have booked for March,” said Steenkamp.

Those in Joburg who were hoping to travel to Saudi Arabia have also seen their efforts halted this week.

Fuad Ganagat from Umrah Tours & Nuri’s Travel in Fordsburg told the Independent Media that this week alone, his agency had to turn away about 50 to 60 people who were making plans to travel to Saudi Arabia.

“We are waiting for the kingdom to let us know when we can start issuing visas,” said Ganagat.

A statement released by the ministry of foreign affairs in Saudi Arabia said entry to the state for the purpose of Umrah or visiting the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina was temporarily suspended.

The statement also said entry with a visa from countries with confirmed coronavirus cases was also suspended.

South African travel associations have made plans that coincide with the decision made by the Saudi Arabian government.

“Members have taken a unilateral decision to cancel all travel arrangements for Umrah pilgrims travelling with Samta accredited agencies up until March 5,” said the organisation in a statement this week.

The travel association said it was working on securing refunds for pilgrims who had already booked to visit Saudi Arabia for March.