Pakistan suspends all incoming international flights for two weeks

ISLAMABAD: The government on Saturday decided to suspend all incoming international flight operations for two weeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country.

This was stated by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Division Dr Moeed Yousaf while addressing a joint news briefing. The decision was made in a meeting of the National Coordination Committee chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He said the restriction on flights will be effective from 8 PM tonight and till 4th April. However, flights carrying diplomats and cargo ships will continue their operations.

The restriction will apply to all passenger, charter and private flights. However, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will be allowed to bring back its planes which are already abroad. It is unclear if outgoing flights will also be affected.

Yusuf announced that passengers will no longer be required to produce Covid-19 negative certification and their screening will be enhanced when international flights resume. He denied reports of an impending lockdown of cities in the country, urging the public to only trust information released by the government.

He admitted that the decision would create difficulties as nearly 200,000 passengers were expected to arrived in Pakistan in the next two weeks. He said the difficult decision was made as the government could not risk further infections from people arriving coronavirus hit countries.

Speaking on the occasion, Special Assistant on National Health Services Dr. Zafar Mirza said the government has decided to develop a mechanism for sharing and exchanging information between the federal and provincial governments about coronavirus pandemic.

Regarding the coronavirus cases in Pakistan, he said out of 4046 suspected cases, 534 are confirmed with Islamabad 10, Punjab 104, Sindh 259, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 27, Balochistan 103, Gilgit-Baltistan 30, and one in Azad Kashmir.

Dr Zafar Mirza further said all provinces of the country now have laboratories where coronavirus tests can be done. He said that the number of laboratories would further be increased.

NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal expressed the confidence that nation, civil and military leadership would win fight against Covid-19 through joint efforts.

He said 20,000 testing kits have arrived from China and handed over to the National Institute of Health, while China will provide 100 ventilators to Pakistan in the coming days.