ISLAMABAD: The members of a Pakistani delegation, including President Arif Alvi and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who were tested for the novel coronavirus during the trip to China have negative results.
In a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, the Chinese embassy said all the 18 members of the Pakistani official delegation, including crew members, were tested on the instructions of the Chinese government,
The delegation who had visited China from March 16-17 had received COVID-19 tests in both throat swab and blood test forms in China two times and the results of all the tests of every member have been negative.
FM Qureshi has already gone into voluntary self-isolation for five days in a quarantine centre after his recent visit to China as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
FM Qureshi said that he was absolutely fine but was taking the step as a safety precaution to send a message. He urged others to follow the instructions of the government and help defeat the pandemic.
“Before leaving for China, we had a swab test done, which came back negative,” he said, adding that “When we reached China, a blood and swab test was done again, which also came back negative.”
Earlier on March 17, President Dr Arif Alvi had met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing where they discussed bilateral relations and vowed to improve strategic cooperation.
During the historic meeting, the presidents had reaffirmed its commitment to further enhance bilateral ties and take time-test friendship between Islamabad and Beijing to new heights.
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