Strict Covid steps urged at airports

SINDH PROPOSES SCREENING OF ALL INBOUND PASSENGERS FROM CHINA

BBorder Health Services (BHS) yesterday directed the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to tighten measures including screening of all the international travellers landing in Pakistan since there is a global surge in Covid-19 variant cases.

The advisory also binds the Airport Health Services to screen — using Antigen Rapid Test — every traveller with minutest symptoms of coronavirus at the airports.

According to the notification, all the focal persons of the BHS have been advised to maintain a heightened level of awareness for the rapid identification, detection, and isolation of any potential cases to prevent further transmission as part of effective control and prevention measures.

A random sampling of all inbound passengers on international flights (2%) has been advised as part of the national response against Covid-19 at the points of entry.

The border health authority has also advised all the airlines to facilitate its staff in carrying out the testing smoothly, as some passengers often resist being tested.

Meanwhile, anticipating a surge in Covid-19 variants, the government of Sindh has sent a number of recommendations to the National Command & Operation Centre for screening of all inbound passengers from China at airports.

Ban on mass gathering

In a letter addressed to the Coordinator of the NCOC, National Institute of Health (NIH) yesterday, the spokesperson of the provincial government for Covid-19 has recommended that all inbound passengers from China on international flights be tested for Covid-19 at the airports and in case of positive results, the persons shall be kept in quarantine until they are tested negative.

The provincial health department has also recommended a ban on mass gatherings and also recommended mandatory mask-wearing.

Earlier yesterday, the NIH reported that 12 new cases were reported across the country in the last 24 hours. The case positivity ratio was .33 per cent, while 19 patients were in critical condition. No death was reported from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours while 3,583 tests were conducted.

Separately, Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel has said that the Covid situation in the country was “under complete control” and requested the nation to stay away from “rumours”.

In a meeting held at the NIH, he said that the Covid positivity rate in the country was around 0.3 per cent to 0.5 per cent and over 90pc of the population was vaccinated.