news organizations report that Tunisia has become the first country to ban its citizens from attending the 2009 Hajj. Tunisian authorities announced that the ban is intended to "preserve human life," since an H1N1/swine flu vaccine will not be available in that country in time to vaccinate pilgrims. Ten thousand pilgrims from Tunisia usually travel for Hajj each year.
In the meantime, schools in Saudi Arabia will begin opening for the 2009-10 school year in the coming two weeks. Officials had delayed the start of school in order to give time for teachers to be trained on flu prevention techniques, and as a preventative measure against the spread of the flu among children returning from summer and Ramadan travel.
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