CAIRO: EgyptAir said it has not received any instructions from the higher committee on swine flu regarding the ages of travelers allowed to go to Saudi Arabia, Mohamed Mekky, general manager of ports at EgyptAir, told local press on Thursday. Egypt set an age range for Umrah and Hajj pilgrims traveling this year at 25-65 years old and halted all bookings for Umrah starting Wednesday. The announcement came after an emergency meeting of the higher committee on swine flu which comprises Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif as well as the Ministers of Health, Interior, Defense, Endowments, Civil Aviation, Foreign Affairs and Tourism. According to Mekky, it's business as usual at the airport with five EgyptAir flights heading to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, three to Madina and two to Jeddah. A total of 1,200 passengers were going to perform Umrah, the smaller pilgrimage. The national airline halted plane bookings for Saudi Arabia starting Aug. 12. Precautionary measures taken recently against the spread of swine flu include a decision to cancel indoor Ramadan tents, Minister of Health Hatem El-Gabaly said Wednesday on "El-Beit Betak nightly show. El-Gabaly clarified a statement made earlier this week which said all Ramadan tents have been banned. However, The First Mall's annual Ramadan tent, Tagine, which is held inside the mall, is ready to open its doors with the start of Ramadan next weekend, saying they haven't received any official notices indicating otherwise.
