Concerns over limited global vaccinations and the emergence of several Covid-19 variants were behind Saudi Arabia's decision to limit the number of pilgrims performing Hajj this year, the kingdom's deputy health minister said on Thursday.
Speaking at a WHO conference for the Eastern Mediterranean region, Dr Hani Jokhdar said when the kingdom assessed the pandemic situation in the region, they opted to limit the Hajj season to just vaccinated residents of Saudi Arabia, whether they are locals or foreign.
"We took this decision for the greater good of everyone. We don't want Hajj this year to turn into an infection hotspot," he said.
He added the kingdom was also concerned about the limited number of vaccines being supplied to Muslim-majority countries whose citizens perform Hajj every year.
"We are also quite concerned about the emergence of four variants of Covid-19 that are not so well understood, so we want to protect everyone as much as possible," said Dr Jokhdar.
The kingdom is well-equipped to receive this year’s pilgrims, he said, who number a fraction of the pilgrims who performed Hajj in the years before the pandemic.
The Saudi Health Ministry announced on June 17 that it would only allow 60,000 Muslim residents of the kingdom into the holy sites this year to curb the spread of Covid-19.
An electronic platform was launched three years ago in co-operation with the WHO to efficiently track any reported cases of infectious diseases in Makkah, said Dr Jokhdar. This system is still operational and will be used to track Covid-19 infections this year as well.
“The kingdom’s track record speaks for itself. In the past two and half decades, we have not recorded a single case of epidemic-related diseases among pilgrims who visit Makkah. We have always implemented the strictest health measures,” he said.
All pilgrims this year between the ages of 18 and 65 must be fully vaccinated with a Saudi-recognised vaccine.
Pilgrims who suffer from chronic illnesses that might cause serious health complications if they get infected with coronavirus have also been banned from performing Hajj this year, said Dr Jokhdar.
“We have new protocols for every stage of the pilgrims’ journey, from when they get off the plane, to when they visit the holy sites and in their residences,” said Dr Jokhdar.
He said this year, pilgrims will also be divided into fixed groups that will take turns visiting the various holy sites of Makkah.
Each group will be assigned a Saudi health official who will monitor members throughout the six days of Hajj and promptly handle any infections, suspected or confirmed.
Dr Jokhdar explains that this new system will make isolation and containment much more efficient.
At the conference, Dr Ahmed El Mandhari, the regional director of WHO EMRO announced that 17 countries in the region have registered confirmed cases of the alpha variant, 11 countries have reported the beta variant, three countries have gamma cases and seven have reported the delta variant.
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
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Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
