Pakistan: COVID-19 test mandatory for all int’l passengers.

Aviation authority orders airline operators to prevent passengers from boarding without test results.

ISLAMABAD

Travelers will have to take a mandatory coronavirus test before being allowed into Pakistan, the country’s aviation authority said late Tuesday.

“With effect from Saturday March 21, 2020, all international arriving passengers to Pakistan Airports shall be required to provide a copy of test results for COVID-19 through RT-PCR conducted during the 24 hours prior to boarding” the Civil Aviation Authority said in referencing the test for the virus known as COVID-19.

Airline operators will not allow any passenger to board without results, adding that results should bear the name and passport number of the passenger.

“International flight operations will revert to all international Airports except Gwadar & Turbat Airports effect from March 21 after equipping our international Airports with the necessary infrastructure and resources to ensure proper screening of all international passengers,” said the CAA.

National tally rises

The government confirmed the nation-wide tally of confirmed cases of coronavirus reached to 236 Tuesday, after 142 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours.

Health officials said the new cases were reported in northeastern Punjab, Sindh, and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

Most of the new patients had recently returned from neighboring country Iran, which has the highest number of cases and deaths after China & Italy.