Our Correspondent Islamabad
The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), introduced by Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) for all inbound flights to prevent the spread of fatal coronavirus (Covid-19) has been extended by February 28.
The Aviation Division on Sunday shared two separate notifications according to which the negative PCR test requirement for the category B&C country passengers had been reduced from 96 to 72 hours.
The PCAA further clarified that from February 01, only the air passengers holding Pakistani Passport, National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis and Pakistan Origin Card, besides diplomatic passport holders and their families from the Category-C countries would be allowed to enter Pakistan, “while in possession of a negative PCR Test Certification conducted within 72 hours prior to commencement of travel to Pakistan.”
Any or all passengers arriving in Pakistan from Category-C countries or having stayed in a category-C country within the last ten days prior to travel to Pakistan could also be subjected to additional stipulations as specified by the relevant health authorities upon arrival in Pakistan, the authority said. The PCAA also issued a revised list of category A, B&C countries pertaining to international inbound travel to Pakistan in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, which would be valid from February 2.
As per the updated list, the passengers coming from Category-A countries including Australia, China, Cuba, Finland, Ghana, Iceland, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam, were not required to carry the Covid-19 PCR test before entry into Pakistan.
