ISLAMABAD: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a ‘Level One’ Covid-19 travel notice for American citizens traveling to Pakistan, which is the lowest possible level of health risk attributed by the organization.
Pakistan has witnessed a significant decline in coronavirus cases in recent months and reported less than 300 COVID-19 cases for the fourth straight day on Tuesday. Officials say the COVID-19 curve has flattened in Pakistan due to an aggressive vaccination drive carried out by the government, with over 119 million people having received at least one dose of a vaccine.
Earlier, Pakistan was placed at Level 2 ‘moderate’ risk by the US body, and in the UK, Pakistan was taken off the high-risk ‘red’ travel list in September.
According to limited details available on the CDC website, there are four types of health notices that may be attributed by the top US health body: Level 4: Very High, Level 3: High, Level 2: Moderate and Level 1: Low.
The travel notice comes with a generic disclaimer: “Make sure you are fully vaccinated before traveling to Pakistan.”
“Travelers should follow recommendations or requirements in Pakistan, including wearing a mask and staying 6 feet apart from others,” the CDC website says.
According to official data compiled by the National Command and Operations Center, the country’s top pandemic body, Pakistan has recorded 216 new coronavirus cases and 6 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Data shows that 1,101patients are still in critical care.
An NCOC meeting on Monday emphasized “stepping up administration of second dose (of vaccine) to eligible individuals so as to sufficiently raise the immunity level of the population for long term dividends.”
