Saudi Arabia lifts Meningitis vaccine requirement for Umrah pilgrims
Riyadh: In a significant policy shift, Saudi Arabia has removed the mandatory meningitis vaccination requirement for Umrah pilgrims. The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) issued a circular on Thursday, informing all airlines operating in the Kingdom, including private carriers, of the updated vaccination guidelines.
The latest directive overturns a previous mandate that required all Umrah travellers to be vaccinated against Neisseria meningitidis. Under the earlier rule, the meningitis vaccine had to be administered no more than three years and no less than ten days before arrival in Saudi Arabia. However, with the new update, Umrah pilgrims will no longer need to provide proof of this vaccination.
This revision follows a series of changes in health regulations for religious travellers. In March last year, Saudi authorities introduced a rule requiring all Haj and Umrah pilgrims to receive the flu vaccine before their journey. While the meningitis vaccine has now been scrapped as a prerequisite, health officials continue to recommend pneumococcal vaccination for individuals aged 65 and above, as well as those with chronic illnesses.
Additionally, the Kingdom’s authorities have extended the recommended window for taking flu and other required vaccines from ten to fifteen days before departure. This adjustment aims to provide travellers with a broader timeframe to ensure adequate immunization before undertaking their pilgrimage.
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Sunetra Pawar to take oath as Maharashtra's Deputy CM at 5 pm on Saturday
Mumbai (PTI): NCP's Rajya Sabha member Sunetra Pawar will be sworn-in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, replacing her deceased husband and party chief Ajit Pawar, at the Lok Bhavan here at 5 pm on Saturday.
Lok Bhavan (formerly Raj Bhavan) gave this information.
Governor Acharya Devvrat, who is currently in Mussoorie, will arrive in Mumbai at 4 pm, it said.
NCP's legislature party meeting is scheduled to take place in the city at 2 pm, where Sunetra Pawar is set to be named as its leader. After that she will take oath as the first woman deputy CM of the state.
She held talks with party leaders after arriving here from Baramati early morning on Saturday.
Ajit Pawar, who was deputy chief minister and finance minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government, was killed in a plane crash in Baramati along with four others on January 28.
