All travel and tourism offices have been warned against running promotional offers to Iran.
A circular was issued yesterday by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) to all tour operators to suspend promotional offers to Iran amid an outbreak of Covid-19.
BTEA chief executive Nader Almoayyed said legal measures will be taken against any travel operator or tourism office that violates regulations.
It comes as Bahrain suspended all flights arriving from Dubai and Sharjah for 48 hours, after it registered a total of 23 confirmed cases of Coronavirus (Covid-19) among citizens and Saudi nationals, all of them detected after returning from Iran.
Emergency
While Iran’s Coronavirus death toll rose to 15 yesterday, the most outside China, heightening its international isolation as dozens of worst-hit nations from South Korea to Italy stepped up emergency measures to curb the epidemic’s global spread.
“A mandatory circular has been issued to all travel and tourism offices with the immediate suspension of promotional offers to travel to Iran, and this action is part of the joint national efforts of all government agencies to combat and reduce the spread of the virus,” said the BTEA statement.
“The BTEA will initiate all legal measures to deter violators and impose maximum penalties according to what is regulated by the law.”
It added that the health and safety of citizens and residents will not be compromised, while highlighting the importance of shared responsibility and co-operation among various entities to follow all instructions to prevent a spread of Covid-19.
Meanwhile, BDF Hospital infection control unit head Lieutenant Colonel Dr Manaf Al Qahtani said authorities were in contact with Bahrainis present in Iran and measures were being taken to ensure their safety.
“We are aware (of the Bahrainis in Iran) and the authorities concerned are in touch with them,” he said at a Press briefing on Covid-19 yesterday.
The country’s leading religious tour operators also told the GDN yesterday that they have suspended all travel to Iran, as they work to ensure the safe return of Bahrainis still abroad.
Dairy Travels, one of the largest tour operators in Bahrain, confirmed it has a group of 70 people in the Iranian city of Mashhad, who were supposed to fly back yesterday via SalamAir.
“However, SalamAir cancelled its operations and they could not fly back,” said Dairy Travels partner Mahmood Al Kadhem.
“We have stopped all operations to Iran since Monday following the alert from the government on Covid-19.
“We are now waiting for a possibility to fly them back – as we know all airlines like Jazeera and Fly Dubai have stopped operating to and from Iran, and Oman and Iraq have also suspended flights to Iran.
Bookings
“So far bookings to Iraq are continuing as the government is yet to announce any restrictions.”
He added that the group has been housed at a hotel in Mashhad and have been instructed on the necessary precautions to be taken.
Another major tour operator, Al Masooma Religious Tourism, said a group of 224 people who left the country two weeks ago are currently in Mashhad waiting to return home.
“Some of them are in Qom, but they also will have to come to Mashhad as they have to fly out from there,” said a company spokeswoman.
“They are all inside a hotel and are not going out – we are in touch with them.”
She added that the agency has stopped taking any new bookings and has cancelled all upcoming travels.
Al Bayan Tours also said it has a group of 230 people in Mashhad, who have been told to stay put until official instructions are received to bring them back.
Believed to have come from wildlife in Wuhan city late last year, the flu-like disease has infected 80,000 people and killed 2,663 in China.
Beyond mainland China it has jumped to about 29 countries and territories, with some three dozen deaths.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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