ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is going to reduce from May 5 to May 20 the number of inbound international flights to 20 percent to stop the spread of coronavirus, the National Command Operation Center (NCOC), which oversees the country’s pandemic response, said on Saturday as the country is facing a surge in infection cases.
Pakistan has seen record numbers of coronavirus-related deaths in recent days and stricter restrictions on movement are planned for the upcoming Eid Al-Fitr holiday in which a large number of people travel from one city to another to spend the holiday with their loved ones.
Officials are worried the country’s health care system may be overwhelmed if more contagious COVID-19 variants begin to spread, as has happened in neighboring India.
“In view of prevailing global and regional disease trends, Pakistan has decided to reduce inbound international travel from 5 May to 20th May,” the National Command Operation Center (NCOC) said in a Twitter post.
In view of prevailing global and regional disease trends, Pakistan has decided to reduce inbound international travel from 5 May to 20th May. International flights to Pakistan will be reduced to 20% during this period. pic.twitter.com/wEQDqpkQpd
— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) May 1, 2021
It was not immediately clear which routes and air carriers would be affected.
Official data showed 4,696 people had tested positive for the coronavirus and 146 had died in the past 24 hours. On Wednesday, Pakistan reported 201 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours — its highest single-day COVID-19 death toll since the pandemic began last February.