ISLAMABAD: Coronavirus vaccination will be mandatory for passengers on Pakistan's domestic flights from Aug. 1, the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC), the government's central body dealing with the pandemic, announced on Saturday.
The decision comes as the country is grappling with a surge in infection cases fueled by local transmission of the more aggressive delta variant of the coronavirus, which officials have reported is reaching alarming levels in the country's major cities.
Officials have also raised concerns the delta variant could have spread during last week's Eid Al-Adha holiday as people traveled to and from cities to their hometowns across the country.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday crossed the one million mark since the beginning of the pandemic last year. Over 1,841 new infections and 32 deaths have been reported in Pakistan in the last 24 hours.
"From August 1, a coronavirus vaccination certificate is required for domestic air travel," the NCOC said in a statement.
The country of 220 million people has so far administered COVID-19 vaccine doses to nearly 25 million people.
Pakistan last month started easing wide-ranging coronavirus restrictions as infection numbers showed a steady decline. As they are now increasing again, local authorities are imposing new curbs and seeking new ways to accelerate vaccination.
Sindh province, were reports from the megacity Karachi said last week some public and private sector hospitals have reached capacity, will impose new restrictions from Monday, closing educational institutions, places of worship, and banning mass gatherings.
As 85 percent of coronavirus patients seeking treatment in Sindh were unvaccinated, according to the province's COVID-19 taskforce, to speed up vaccination the local government is planning sanctions against those in the province who had not received their jabs.
Murtaza Wahab, spokesperson of the Sindh government, said on Friday they would request the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to block SIM cards in the cellphones of the unvaccinated.
