Pakistan starts screening travelers for coronavirus

Passengers arriving from China were being screened for the coronavirus at Lahore airport on January 24, 2020. (Photo by health ministry)
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Updated 15 March 2020
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Pakistan starts screening travelers for coronavirus

  • Passengers arriving from China will undergo thermal scanning
  • Over 500 people in China have already been infected

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has begun screening travelers at its four majors airports for signs of the coronavirus.

The country’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said in a statement on Thursday the measures focus on screening all passengers arriving from China, especially on 17 weekly flights to Islamabad.

The passengers will have to go through health counters for thermal body scanning.

The authority said a person suspected of having contracted the virus will be kept in an isolated room until they are shifted to the capital’s main health facility Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital.

At Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore and Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar, the CAA has also installed thermal scanners, and quarantine rooms have been set up in accordance with international standards, the statement said.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said it is vigilant about the spread of the disease across Asia, as over 500 people in China have already been infected with the deadly virus.

“NDMA in collaboration with Army Medical Corps, Ministry of Health & relevant stakeholders initiated precautionary measures to keep Pakistan safe from the threat,” NDMA said in a tweet.


Pakistani national in Dubai killed by falling debris from ‘aerial interception’

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Pakistani national in Dubai killed by falling debris from ‘aerial interception’

  • Pakistani driver killed on Saturday as debris falls on vehicle in Al Barsha area, confirms Government of Dubai Media Office
  • Iran has targeted Gulf countries hosting US troops with missile, drone attacks since Middle East conflict began last week 

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani national was killed this week after debris from an aerial interception fell on a vehicle in Dubai, the Government of Dubai Media Office confirmed on Sunday.

The incident took place in Dubai’s Al Barsha area, the Dubai Media Office wrote on social media platform X, without confirming the location from where the projectile was fired from. 

“Authorities confirm that debris from an aerial interception fell onto a vehicle in the Al Barsha area, resulting in the death of a Pakistani driver,” the Dubai Media Office said. 

This is the second Pakistani national killed in the UAE since the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. As per local media reports, a Pakistani national died in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 28 after being struck by missile fragments. 

Pakistani and Nepalese nationals were among six people injured by falling debris on Thursday after the UAE’s air defense systems intercepted drones, the Abu Dhabi Media Office had confirmed in a statement. 

Iran has carried out several missile and drone attacks on Gulf countries hosting American troops since Isreal and the US launched coordinated strikes against it last week. The surprise attack came after months of negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program. 

Pakistan has asked its citizens in Gulf states to exercise caution, avoid travel and strictly follow official adviseries ever since tensions escalated in the region last week.

The UAE is home to over 1.5 million Pakistani expatriates, one of the largest communities of overseas Pakistanis worldwide.

Pakistan has condemned the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran but also criticized Tehran’s attacks that have targeted countries in the Gulf region, advising all parties to exercise restraint. 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday apologized to Gulf neighbors for the attacks, saying Tehran would halt strikes unless attacks against Iran originate from their territories. 

However, questions were raised over the apology as air defense sirens and interceptions were reported in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain later on Saturday, fueling uncertainty across the Gulf.