KARACHI: Five passengers of two international flights landed at the Jinnah International Airport diagnosed COVID-19 positive on Wednesday.
According to sources, two passengers of flight 151 from Dubai and three passengers of flight 329 from Riyadh were diagnosed COVID-19 positive in a rapid antigen test conducted by the health officials at the airport.
Sources said all five COVID-19 positive passengers were shifted to the government’s quarantine facility at Karachi’s Bhittai Abad.
On Saturday, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had announced that inbound international flights to Pakistan will be reduced to 20 per cent from May 5 to May 20 in order to curb a further rise in COVID-19 infections.
“Amid high disease prevalence in various parts of the world with corresponding extreme stress on the critical care system, Pakistan has decided to significantly reduce inbound International Air Travel from 5 May to 20th May,” the NCOC said.
According to the notification, there would be no change in existing Category C list countries. “However, Pakistani passport holders (stranded/short term visa) are allowed to travel to Pakistan subject to exemption by the committee as per procedures in vogue,” it added.
It was not immediately clear which routes and air carriers will be affected. The NCOC said the decision will be reviewed on May 18. The NCOC also listed testing and quarantine protocols for inbound flights to Pakistan that require a mandatory negative RT PCR test, conducted a maximum of 72 hours before travelling to Pakistan.
Negative cases will undergo 10 days of self-quarantine at home with stringent TTO protocols. However, positive cases will be shifted by the provincial/ district administration to a self-paid facility for 10 days quarantine and a repeat PCR test will be conducted.
The NCOC stated that registration on the Passtrack App by all inbound travellers before travelling to Pakistan is mandatory, however, deportees are exempted from registration on the app.
Pakistan has witnessed record deaths in recent days from the novel coronavirus, and stricter restrictions on movement and gathering in public are planned for the upcoming Eid holiday.
