Passengers shocked at sudden change of rules for Zamzam

November 3, 2014

zam zamJeddah, Nov 3: Passengers departing from Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport have expressed shock and disappointment at the new rule limiting the amount of Zamzam water they can carry with them.

Earlier, passengers could take a minimum of 10 liters of Zamzam water per person, but the new rule limits the amount to only five liters per passenger causing tensions with airport officials.

Muzamal Sarkar, traveling to London, called Arab News and complained about the change in rules which prohibit passengers from taking 10-liter bottles of Zamzam water.

Sarkar explained that many passengers were taken aback by the sudden change in rules and were now wondering about what to do with the 10-liter bottles they had carried with them from Makkah.

“I carried a 10-liter Zamzam water bottle which I had bought from Makkah for SR30 to take back home but when I approached the safe wrap company to pack it for me, they informed me that they no longer packed 10-liter bottles as we weren’t allowed to carry them,” Sarkar said.

He further said that there was a stall at the airport which was selling five-liter bottles of Zamzam water for SR10 each and the packing facility was also at a distance from the airport.

“Luckily, the driver who had come to drop me at the airport was still there, so I was able to send back the 10-liter bottle and buy the smaller bottle instead to take to London for my wife who is suffering from cancer,” he said, adding that many passengers were upset at this sudden decision.

Another passenger, Salman Hassan Zaman, told Arab News that about a month ago he had traveled with his family carrying five bottles of 10-liters of Zamzam water but this time he was stuck with the 10-liter bottle and had to discard it at the airport.

Saudi traveler Ali Al Zahrani said that the new rule for carrying Zamzam should be mentioned on the airline ticket to avoid the harassment passengers were currently experiencing.

“It’s unfair to suddenly change the rules without prior notice,” he said.

Meanwhile, a Saudi Arabian Airline airport officer said that the rule had been imposed by the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) not the airlines. He further said that GACA had given the contract to a company which supplies the five-liter packed Zamzam water for the passengers at the airport.

In an earlier statement, Saeed Musfer Al-Wadi, director of the King Abdullah Project for Zamzam of the National Water Company, said: “Zamzam water is being packed according to norms set by the civil aviation authorities and they are exclusively packing five-liter cans for returning pilgrims as advised by the civil aviation authorities.”

In order to find out when the rule for pilgrims had been extended to general travelers, Arab News called GACA, but received no response.

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News Network
January 16,2020

Dubai, Jan 16: The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment on Wednesday announced that it has banned the import of birds, some eggs and meat products from Hungary and Slovakia.

The ministry said the decision was taken following a notification from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) on the outbreak of a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu, H5N2, in the two countries.

Accordingly, the ministry has banned "the import of all species of domestic and wild live birds, ornamental birds, chicks, hatching eggs, meats and meat products and non-heat-treated wastes from Hungary and Slovakia".

It has also regulated the import of poultry meat and non-heat-treated products, requiring a health certificate for the export of meat and meat products from the two countries to release consignments into the UAE.

A health certificate will be needed for the import of eggs, the ministry added.

However, thermally-treated poultry products (meat and eggs) have been cleared for import from all parts of Hungary and Slovakia.

Kaltham Ali Kayaf, Acting Director, Animal Development & Health Department at the ministry, said: "These measures reiterate the ministry's keenness in achieving its strategic objectives including enhancing bio-security levels and eliminating pathogens before they enter the country. In doing so, the ministry prevents the bird flu virus and related risks and impacts on the country's poultry health and safety, in addition to protecting public health and well-being."

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KT
April 21,2020

Abu Dhabi, Apr 21: The UAE has reported a further 490 new coronavirus infections, after conducting more than 30,000 new tests, bringing the total number of COVID-19 patients to 7,755.

According to the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP), three more coronavirus deaths have been confirmed, taking to 46 the country’s death toll.

The ministry revealed that it conducted more than 30,000 additional COVID-19 tests among UAE citizens and residents, using state-of-the-art technology in line with its plans to intensify virus screening in order to bring COVID-19 under control.

The accelerated investigative measures resulted in the detection of 490 new coronavirus cases among various nationalities, all of whom are in a stable condition and receiving the necessary care.

The deceased are of Asian nationalities and had pre-existing conditions coinciding with being infected with coronavirus, which resulted in complications that led to their death.

The ministry expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to all patients, calling on the public to cooperate with health authorities and comply with all precautionary measures, particularly social distancing protocols, to ensure the safety and protection of the public.

The ministry also announced the full recovery of 83 new cases after receiving the necessary treatment, taking to 1443 the total of those now recovered from the virus in the UAE.

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Agencies
May 26,2020

Dubai, May 26: An Indian expat, who recently recovered from COVID-19, fell to his death from a building in Dubai, police said.

The 26-year-old Indian national identified as Neelath Muhammed Firdous from Kerala, fell from the seventh floor balcony of his building where he stayed with six others including his uncle, Naushad Ali, 33.

A Dubai Police official confirmed the incident to Gulf News on Monday and said it had been a suicide.

"He was suffering from a mental disorder and there is no criminal suspicions behind his death," said the official.

"The incident happened on Sunday," the official confirmed.

The victim's relative said: "(He) awoke early to perform prayers and everyone was getting on with their daily morning chores when he walked to the balcony and jumped.

"He was suffering from a mental disorder and had been disturbed for some time. He thought everyone was out to attack him and had stopped eating his food as he thought people were feeding him poison. He was refusing to even take water from us."

The victim had tested positive for COVID-19 on April 10. On May 7, he was discharged from a Dubai hospital after clearing all tests.

The relative told Gulf News that he had registered the victim in the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) last month in order to repatriate him, however he was unsuccessful in procuring a ticket.

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