CAA imposes new curbs on inbound flights

ISLAMABAD: As the fourth wave of Covid-19 continued rising in the country, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Tuesday imposed new restrictions for passengers of inbound flights.

Through an advisory, the CAA directed that all inbound passengers from abroad of six years and above age will be required to possess a valid negative PCR test conducted within 72 hours prior to commencement of travel to Pakistan. “The passengers will be tested through rapid antigen testing upon arrival in Pakistan," the travel advisory said, adding, the positive testing passengers above 12 years of age will be quarantined at a designated facility as per procedure already in vogue.

Considering the volatile nature of the Covid-19 situation, any or all arriving passengers may also be subjected to additional stipulations as mandated by the relevant health authorities upon arrival in Pakistan." Meanwhile, the Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar on Tuesday said that the target of one million vaccinations in a day has been achieved. Umar tweeted that 10, 72000 vaccinations were carried out on Monday. He said Islamabad has become the first city with a population of one million or above to get 50% of its eligible population vaccinated with at least one dose.

Meanwhile, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Tuesday morning reported 67 new corona casualties in the last 24 hours, raising the nationwide tally to 23,529. As many as 3,582 new coronavirus cases have been recorded in the last 24 hours and the positivity rate in Pakistan stood at 7.19% with 75,373 active cases across the country.