ISLAMABAD: In view of the surge in infections of Omicron variant of coronavirus, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) on Tuesday made rapid antigen tests mandatory for travelers arriving in Pakistan from European nations.
The test is conducted to detect whether proteins of the Covid-19 coronavirus are present in the traveler’s body.
Nations straining to contain subsequent waves of Covid-19 started turning to faster, cheaper but reportedly less accurate tests in late 2020 to avoid the delays and shortages that have plagued efforts to diagnose and trace those infected quickly
While all travelers from European nations will be required to take the test, only half of the traffic from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) will have to undergo the assessment.
In addition, the agency said travelers aged 15 and older are required to produce a negative coronavirus test report — acquired not earlier than 48 hours of departure — on arrival in Pakistan.
In case, a passenger tests positive for the disease on arrival at a Pakistan airport, they are required to spend 10 days in quarantine at either a government-designated place or a private accommodation the expense of which will be borne by them.
Following is the list of new guidelines as announced by the CAA:
- Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination and possession of proof of COVID-19 vaccination. This is applicable for all passengers above 15 years of age.
- Valid negative PCR test result conducted within the 48 hours prior to commencement of travel to Pakistan. This is applicable for all passengers above 06 years of age.
- Rapid Antigen Testing upon arrival for all direct flights from Europe
- Rapid Antigen Testing upon arrival of a minimum of 50% inbound flights from KSA, UAE and Qatar
- Selective Rapid Antigen Testing for all inbound flights other than flights mentioned at (c) and (d) above.
The new regulations will come into force from Wednesday (tomorrow).
The advisory comes as authorities warn of a fifth wave of infections and are in the process of making preparations to try to contain the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
The fifth wave of COVID-19, which is driven by the Omicron variant, is spreading at a rapid pace in the country, the National Command and Operation Centre said Monday as Pakistan reported its highest number of daily infections in over two months.
While addressing the epidemic curve chart data, the national immunisation plan and disease prevalence across the country in a morning session on Monday, the NCOC confirmed that the positivity rate in Karachi has risen from 2% to 6% in the last three days, with the highest number of positive instances.
Pakistan reported 630 new cases of coronavirus Tuesday, a day after recording 708 new cases, its highest daily figure in over two months which pushed the positivity ratio to 1.55 percent, according to data from the National Command Operation Centre (NCOC).
“There is clear evidence now of a beginning of another COVID wave which has been expected for the last few weeks,” Asad Umar, the minister in charge of supervising anti-Covid-19 operations, wrote on Twitter.
Genome sequencing had detected a growing number of cases of the Omicron variant, particularly in Karachi, he said.
The government of Sindh is working on a strategy to contain the variant, which has included a partial lockdown of a Karachi neighbourhood last week after about a dozen Omicron cases were detected in a family.
More than 70 million people, or 32 percent of the population, have had two vaccine doses in Pakistan.
The government authorised booster doses for citizens over the age of 30 from Monday. Children over the age of 12 are being offered vaccinations at their schools.
— With input from Reuters
