Cape Town - 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 2000 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 1000 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.