ISLAMABAD: The authorities will no longer require vaccinated individuals arriving in Pakistan to take a PCR test for Covid-19, National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said on Wednesday, as it made inoculation compulsory for international travelers.
Under the revised policy for inbound passengers that will come into force Wednesday midnight, eligible international passengers will not be required to undergo pre-flight PCR tests.
With effect from 24 Feb 22, requirement of negative PCR report for passengers travelling to Pakistan has been abolished (for fully vaccinated travelers). pic.twitter.com/S77VctOSDx
— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) February 23, 2022
However, non-vaccinated individuals aged 12 and above will still have to provide a negative PCR taken no longer than 72 hours before departure.
The NCOC made vaccination mandatory for all inbound passengers with an exemption for individuals under 12. Those between 12-18 years of age are permitted to travel without vaccination until March 31, it said.
The platform said deportees and non-vaccinated pedestrians at border terminals will have to undergo a rapid antigen test (RAT) and those found positive will be required to self-quarantine for a period of 10 days.
DEATHS INCH UP
The development came as the nation reported an uptick in coronavirus-related deaths despite visible signs of pandemic retreat in Pakistan.
According to the figures released by the NCOC in a separate update, Pakistan recorded 43 deaths during the last 24 hours, up from 13 reported Tuesday. The fatalities took the number of coronavirus deaths to 30,096, showed statistics.
The nation also confirmed 1,232 new cases of Covid-19, the federal body said.
Statistics 23 Feb 22:
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 41,744
Positive Cases: 1232
Positivity %: 2.95%
Deaths :43
Patients on Critical Care: 1230— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) February 23, 2022
The NCOC, a department leading the nation’s campaign against the pandemic, said the number of confirmed cases has increased to 1,503,873 while 1,409,515 out of them have recovered.
Meanwhile, the active cases dropped to 64,262 after 3,154 patients recovered on Tuesday.
There are 1,230 patients in critical condition and being treated at intensive care units in different hospitals across the country.
Sindh is the most-affected province of the country in terms of the number of cases with 565,319 infections, followed by Punjab, which has reported 499,768 cases so far.
