Directives for Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims

Amid the outbreak of MERS infection in Saudi Arabia, the government has issued a set of pre-cautionary directives for Bangladeshi pilgrims going to perform hajj this year.
Talking to reporters after a meeting with Islamic Foundation and HAAB at the Secretariat  Monday, Religious Affairs Secretary Chowdhury Babul Hasan said the directives have been issued following the request of the Saudi government to send hajj pilgrims after taking necessary precautions against MERS, according to a news agency.
The secretary said the pilgrims must wear masks before leaving the country. “The wearing of masks for each hajj pilgrim is compulsory. They have to wear facial masks after boarding flight.”
The Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims have been asked to move around wearing masks and maintain a distance from those who have sneeze and cough.
Babul Hasan suggested the pilgrims wash their hands with antiseptic liquid like Dettol after returning to their residences from outside while in Saudi Arabia.
He also urged them to take two vaccines – one for influenza and the other for meningitis — provided by the government before leaving for Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia has urged the Bangladesh government to send hajj pilgrims after taking necessary precautions against MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), and discourage those above 60 to go.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is viral respiratory illness first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. It is caused by a corona virus called MERS-CoV.
Most people with MERS-CoV infection developed severe acute respiratory illness. They have fever, cough and shortness of breath. About 30 per cent of people having MERS-CoV infection die.