MAKKAH: Most Malaysian haj pilgrims who tested positive for COVID-19 before leaving for the Holy Land have fully recovered, and are now joining other pilgrims to perform the fifth pillar of Islam.

Malaysian Haj Delegation head Datuk Seri Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman said previously 120 pilgrims could not continue their flight when they tested positive during the RT-PCR (PCR) test, and their spouses also chose to postpone the journey.

He said that the PCR test was a requirement set by the Saudi Arabian government, within 72 hours before the flight, however, Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) advised pilgrims to do the test 56 hours before reporting at the departure terminal.

"We found that on some flights, there were haj pilgrims whose PCR test results were positive. Of the 120 pilgrims, 78 have arrived in the Holy Land after being confirmed negative and have completed quarantine.

"The rest will travel on the next flight, while 19 pilgrims are still being quarantined and we are waiting for the results," he told reporters.


When asked to what extent TH will try to bring all the pilgrims who accepted the offer to perform haj, Syed Saleh said, "If they are negative, TH will still arrange flights, as long as there are flights available.

He added that the Saudi Arabian government had set the last flight of this year's haj season to be on July 3, and hoped that all those who accepted the offer would be negative for COVID-19 before that date.

In this regard, to ensure all the 14,306 haj pilgrims have the opportunity to perform the pilgrimage, Syed Saleh advised them to look after their health and not to be exposed to any gathering before the PCR test.

In a separate development, Syed Saleh said that, until today, all Malaysian haj pilgrims were in good health, and there were no critical cases that require further treatment.

"Most of the health cases referred to the clinics provided by TH are respiratory problems and skin disease due to dry and hot weather. Only a few pilgrims required treatment at the hospitals.

"Fewer pilgrims are being hospitalised compared with previous years, due to the effectiveness of the strict health checks this year, as well as age factor of pilgrims, who are way younger than usual group, and the pilgrims' concern in maintaining their health," he explained.

-- BERNAMA