ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday suspended flights to and from China with immediate effect, a civil aviation official said, as the number of known cases of the deadly coronavirus has already exceeded 9,600, killing at least 213 people.

“We are suspending all direct flights to and from China until Feb. 2,” Abdul Sattar Khokhar, senior joint secretary at the Aviation Division of Pakistan, told Arab News over the phone.

At least 22 non-stop flights are operated weekly between China and Pakistan – two of them by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and 10 each by Air China and China Southern Airlines.

“We will review our decision after Feb. 2,” the secretary added.

The decision comes just hours after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency. The virus has spread to at least 18 other countries. No deaths have been reported outside China.

While the US, Australia and the United Kingdom have flown their citizens out of Wuhan – a city of 11 million in Hubei province and the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak – and more countries are preparing to evacuate their nationals from affected areas, Pakistani authorities have decided to follow WHO recommendations and are not going to take similar steps for now.

About 28,000 Pakistani students are studying at Chinese universities, with more than 500 of them in Wuhan alone, according to foreign office data.

“We believe that right now ... it is in the larger interest of the region, world, country (Pakistan) that we don’t evacuate them now,” Dr. Zafar Mirza who advises Prime Minister Imran Khan on health told media on Thursday.

“This is what the WHO is saying, this is China’s policy and this is our policy as well,” he said while ignoring evacuation requests from the students and their parents.

Pakistan is taking precautionary measures to prevent spread of the virus. Passengers are screened at the country’s four major airports and all health facilities have been put on high alert.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in a statement on Friday that around 12,000 passengers have been screened so far, and confirmed that no coronavirus case has been reported in Pakistan.

The authority has requested that exports of disposable face masks and gloves be halted to ensure that first aid supplies are available at all health care units to prevent the virus outbreak in the South Asian nation of 220 million.

“It is requested that export of N95 face mask and hand gloves outside Pakistan from land, air and sea routes be banned forthwith and till further advice,” the statement said.