Pak says Indian passengers to be strictly monitored for Covid

Islamabad: Pakistan has announced telescopic monitoring of Indian passengers arriving in the country through air or land routes amid a surge in Covid-19 cases caused by the Omicron sub-variant BA-275.

The Directorate of Health Sciences issued a circular in this regard on the instructions of Health Minister Qadir Patel, The Express Tribune reported.

Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport (AIIP) has made foolproof arrangements for monitoring of Indian passengers, the report said.

As per instructions, monitoring of Indian passengers will be conducted at all entry points including airports, Wagah-Attari border, and Peace Corridor Kartarpur Gurdwara.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus positivity rate has decreased from 2.96 per cent to 2.74 percent across Pakistan, according to the statistics issued by the National Institute of Health (NIH) on Sunday.

During the past 24 hours, three more people died of Covid-19-related complications, the NIH said.

During this period, 19,402 Covid-19 tests were conducted, out of which 532 came out positive.

The positivity rate was thus found to be 2.74 per cent, as compared to the previous day’s 2.96 per cent.

According to the NIH, 179 people were in critical condition.

Pakistan reels from another upsurge in the coronavirus pandemic, this paper reported that citizens in Karachi have largely forgone the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued to curb the highly-contagious disease.

These SOPs include wearing face masks, maintaining distance from others, and washing hands or using hand sanitizers to maintain protective hygiene.