Pakistan extends Covid SOPs for inbound flights till month-end

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has extended the standard operating procedures introduced for all inbound flights until February 28, which has travel guidelines for passengers from the UK and Ireland, among other countries.

According to two separate notifications shared by the Aviation Division here on Sunday, the negative PCR test requirement for the category B and C country passengers had been reduced from 96 to 72 hours. The United Kingdom and Ireland are among Category C countries.

From February 1 (today), the PCAA further clarified that only air passengers holding Pakistani passports, National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicop) and Pakistan Origin Card, diplomatic passport holders and their families from Category C countries would be allowed to enter Pakistan, “while in possession of a negative PCR Test Certification conducted within 72 hours prior to commencement of travel to Pakistan”.

The authority said any or all passengers arriving in Pakistan from Category C countries, or having stayed in a Category C country within the last 10 days prior to travel to Pakistan could also be subjected to additional stipulations as specified by the relevant health authorities upon arrival in Pakistan.

The PCAA also issued a revised list of category A, B and C countries pertaining to international inbound travel to Pakistan in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, which would be valid from February 2.

As per the updated list, the passengers coming from Category-A countries including Australia, China, Cuba, Finland, Ghana, Iceland, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam, were not required to carry a Covid-19 PCR test before entry into Pakistan.

Explaining Category B, the authority said negative Covid-19 PCR test, maximum 72 hours old, is required from international travellers coming from the countries not specified in the categories A and C.

In Category C, the PCAA said six countries — South Africa, United Kingdom, Brazil, Ireland, Portugal and Netherlands — from where only Pakistanis, diplomatic passport holders and their families would be allowed to enter Pakistan under certain SOPs including a negative PCR test within 72 hours before boarding a flight to Pakistan.