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West Java searches for 90 missing umrah pilgrims amid travel ban
"We are still figuring out whether the 90 people have reached the Holy Land or are in transit in another country,” said a West Java religious affairs official.
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Muslim pilgrims wearing face masks to protect against the novel coronavirus gather at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 27. (REUTERS/Ganoo Essa)
T
he West Java Religious Affairs Office is tracking down 90 umrah (minor hajj) pilgrims who left for Saudi Arabia from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Thursday – a day before Saudi Arabia announced a temporary ban on pilgrims to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
On Friday, the Saudi kingdom placed Indonesia on a list of countries whose citizens were barred from visiting the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina amid the rapid global spread of the novel coronavirus.
The decision left thousands of Indonesians stranded, some on their way to Saudi Arabia, others checked in at airports and still others arriving in the country.
Read also: Banning or wooing travelers in time of novel coronavirus
The office’s hajj and umrah division head Ajam Mustajam said 700 umrah pilgrims from the province had returned home. However, there were 90 pilgrims who booked their pilgrimage with four travel agencies in West Java whose whereabout remained unknown.
"We are still figuring out whether the 90 people have reached the holy land [of Mecca] or are still in transit in another country,” he said in Bandung, West Java, on Tuesday during a coordination meeting regarding COVID-19 handling.
Ajam added that the religious affairs office was continuing to coordinate with the religious affairs ministry to check the computerized integrated umrah and hajj system, which holds data on the registration, departure and return of pilgrims.
"We’re also coordinating with the travel agencies because they were the ones who managed their departure process,” he said, adding that he hoped the pilgrims were in good health.
It has been six days since they left Indonesia for Saudi Arabia. An umrah trip usually lasts about 12 days.
Read also: Saudi's sudden 'umrah' ban leaves pilgrims heartbroken
Ajam said there was a possibility that some of the 90 worshipers were not West Java citizens but had departed using services from travel agencies in the region.
Responding to the matter, West Java governor Ridwan Kamil demanded the regional religious affairs office coordinate with Saudi Arabian government.
Presidential spokesperson Fadjroel Rachman said on Friday that 1,685 Indonesian pilgrims were stranded in third countries during transit and that they were in the process of being flown back home by their respective airlines.
Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, contributed the second-highest number of umrah pilgrims last year with 443,879 arrivals, according to the Saudi Hajj and Umrah Ministry.
Saudi Arabia, on average, welcomes nearly 7 million umrah pilgrims annually. (eyc)
