Saudi Arabia Health Authorities On Full Alert

New reports now show that the Saudi Arabia health authorities are on red alert. This increase in alertness comes after four pilgrims died from the swine flu. Experts are now afraid that this year’s Haj season could be a breeding ground for the virus itself.

Dr Khaled Marghlani said that 16 people have already been diagnosed with the swine flu. He also noted that another four people remain in the hospital in critical condition. Authorities have already tired to prepare for the outbreak by installing thermal cameras at airports and ferry terminals. They have also deployed 15,000 additional health workers.

New reports are now showing that all pilgrims will need to have a certificate of vaccination before they can apply for a visa to the kingdom. This could spell bad news for Haj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam and is critical to the country’s tourism economy.

This celebration, which just recently started, is being plagued by fears over the swine flu. Overall, the swine flu has been causing problems for many countries around the globe, as it is effecting tourism. This years tourism has taken a turn for the worst, not only from the swine flu virus, but also due to the global recession.

Airlines and hotels are doing all they can to get people traveling. The few people that are traveling are seeing hotels and airlines fighting for their business by lowering prices. Although the number of people flying is going up, airlines are still not able to break even due to the fact that they have had to drop their prices so low.