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PUTRAJAYA – The approval process for the advertisement of umrah packages has been suspended from yesterday, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry said in a statement today.
This was because flight dates, which advertisements must display, cannot be determined following the government’s decision to temporarily suspend travel permission to perform umrah effective yesterday, to curb the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said in a press conference on January 1 the government had decided on the measure effective yesterday, in light of increasing Covid-19 positive cases among umrah pilgrims.
The suspension followed concerns that the variant’s spread was due to non-compliance with the home quarantine procedures among pilgrims.
“The ministry is working to find the best solution to mitigate the impact on umrah operators registered with the ministry, following the government’s announcement to temporarily suspend permission to travel and perform the umrah,” the statement read.
The ministry said it would be working with the National Disaster Management Agency, the Health Ministry, and tour and travel associations to improve umrah travel standard operating procedures according to current needs for the approval of the National Security Council. – Bernama, January 9, 2022