More than 12,000 pilgrims have been flown to Mecca for hajj (major pilgrimage) so far, said Manouchehr Sepasi, director general of Hajj Affairs at Iran Airports Company (IAC).
“The pilgrims travelled on 48 flights from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, and Shiraz, Tabriz, Sari, Gorgan, and Isfahan airports,” he said, IRNA reported.
Given that MERS has resurfaced in Saudi Arabia killing 19 people in the last week, head of the medical center for Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, Seyed Ali Mar’ashi, said all Iranian pilgrims “are so far healthy and none have contracted the virus,” khabaronline reported.
Two specialists from the Health Ministry are in Mecca as a precautionary measure. “An educational video on MERS is also screened on all flights to create awareness among the pilgrims,” he said.
