ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), the Pakistani government’s central body dealing with the pandemic, said on Monday all foreign travelers to Pakistan were now being tested at airports to stem the spread of the coronavirus as Pakistan battles a second wave of the disease.
Pakistan has reported 534,041 COVID-19 cases so far, and 11,318 deaths.
“All foreign travelers especially from UK and South Africa were being tested at the airports,” the NCOC said in a statement. “Those tested positive for coronavirus were being quarantined.”
It added: “The government would keep the record of vaccinated persons; even those who traveled from abroad would have to provide a legal document confirming that they had been vaccinated.”
Last month, Pakistan was among the countries across the globe that shut their borders to Britain on due to fears about a highly infectious new coronavirus strain.
India, Pakistan, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Russia, Jordan and Hong Kong suspended travel for Britons after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a mutated variant of the virus had been identified in the country. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman closed their borders completely though some travel has resumed.
Several other nations blocked travel from Britain over the weekend, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Ireland, Belgium and Canada. France shut its border to arrivals of people and trucks from Britain, closing off one of the most important trade arteries with mainland Europe.