ISLAMABAD: Passengers traveling from Pakistan and transiting through Dubai will have to take a rapid PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test before departure from tomorrow, Friday, Emirates, the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, has said.
On August 5, UAE lifted a ban on transit passenger traffic from Pakistan, India, Nigeria and other countries though it still requires travelers from these countries to present negative COVID-19 tests that are not done more than four hours before their departure.
The rapid PCR test can determine a COVID-19 case even before a person becomes infectious, making it possible to isolate such individuals on time. Other types of tests detect viral proteins, revealing the coronavirus presence in a person’s respiratory system at the peak of the infection.
“Passengers arriving in Dubai from the following countries will be required to take another COVID‑19 PCR test on arrival at Dubai International airport,” Emirates said in a statement on its website that listed Pakistan.
“In addition to the testing requirement for passengers traveling to or though Dubai, effective 27 August 2021, all passengers traveling to or transferring through Dubai from Pakistan are required to take a COVID‑19 Rapid PCR test at the departure airport before their scheduled flight.”
UAE nationals are exempted from the above requirements but subject to COVID‑19 PCR testing on arrival in Dubai.
Other requirements include that passengers traveling from Pakistan must carry a negative COVID-19 PCR test with a validity of 48 hours before departure from UAE-approved laboratories.
To facilitate Pakistani passengers traveling to the UAE, Pakistan this month put in place PCR rapid testing facility at all international airports in the country.
From tomorrow, PCR test required on arrival in Dubai for transit passengers from Pakistan
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From tomorrow, PCR test required on arrival in Dubai for transit passengers from Pakistan
- On August 5, UAE lifted a ban on transit passenger traffic from Pakistan and other countries
- A rapid PCR test can identify COVID-19 even before a person becomes infectious
Bangladesh approves new rice imports from Pakistan amid price pressures
- The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year for the first time since independence in 1971
- Diplomatic ties between the two nations have improved since the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina after mass protests last year
DHAKA: Bangladesh has approved the import of 50,000 metric tons of white rice from Pakistan under a government-to-government deal as part of efforts to stabilize domestic prices, officials said on Tuesday.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase cleared the deal at $395 per ton, reinforcing Dhaka’s renewed trade engagement with Islamabad.
Rice prices in Bangladesh have jumped by between 15 percent and 20 percent over the past year, with medium-quality rice selling at about 80 taka ($0.66) per kilogram. Despite increased imports and the removal of duties to ease supply constraints, prices for the staple grain remain stubbornly high.
The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year for the first time since independence in 1971. In February, it imported 50,000 tons of rice from Pakistan at $499 per ton under a similar agreement.
Diplomatic ties between the two South Asian nations have improved since an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took office after mass protests forced then prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to neighboring India last year.
Formerly East Pakistan, Bangladesh gained independence after a nine-month war in 1971, and relations with Pakistan have remained fraught in the decades since the conflict.
Separately, the government approved another 50,000 tons of parboiled rice through an international tender, part of a series of recent purchases aimed at cooling local prices. India’s Pattabhi Agro Foods secured the contract with the lowest bid of $355.77 per ton.
