New Coronavirus Variant Reached Pakistan with Passengers from UK
All Positive PCR Tested Individuals Would Be Quarantined That Have Arrived In the Last Flight
The government of Pakistan has announced on Monday that they would be extending travel restrictions on the previously announced preventive measures on all inbound passengers that are arriving from the United Kingdom via a flight that is scheduled to land in Pakistan on January 4, 2021. The further travelling restrictions have been added as a preventive measure against the rapidly spreading new coronavirus variant that has mutated into a much deadly version of the viral infection in the United Kingdom and has been diagnosed in various other countries around the world.
Travelling restrictions globally
Previously, the Civil Aviation Authority of the country has made a public announcement that the restrictive travelling measures would remain intact till December 29, 2020, but has now been extended till the first week of January of the upcoming new year to prevent the new coronavirus variant from spreading across Pakistan, which has been able to limit the number of active transmissions in the community by implementing personal protective measures while being in public.
The announcement concerns those individuals who have arrived in Pakistan from the United Kingdom from December 22, 2020, or have been in residing in Britain over the previous 10 consecutive days, which is the day of the issue of the notification, as they might be carrying the new coronavirus variant without developing any symptoms.
Multiple countries around the world, including Pakistan have now implemented a ban on air travel to and from the United Kingdom, in an attempt to prevent incoming of people that might be carrying the new coronavirus variant, which could possibly also mutate the present strain of the infection COVID-19.
For all individuals that are arriving in Pakistan from abroad are required to fill their basic personal information as a mandatory action, which would be stored in an application called Pass Track App, that allows the government to keep track of their incoming inside the country, along with contacting them in case of emergency.
These measures have been initiated against prevention of transmission of the new coronavirus variant, which was first diagnosed in the United Kingdom.
Later, the restrictions were relaxed for those individuals that hold the passport of Pakistan. The Pakistan CAA has given a public announcement stating that all individuals with Pakistani passport that have been issued with transit, visitor or business visa by the UK authorities are able to return back to their country, despite the travel ban caused due to the new coronavirus variant, provided that they have a negative coronavirus PCR test, which has been conducted within 72 hours of their flight.
Mutated COVID-19 variant in Pakistan
A search is currently being conducted by the local government across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in an attempt to look for dozens of individuals, who has arrived in the region from the United Kingdom via air travel after the new coronavirus variant has spread across the nation. According to the report made by the provincial health department, the concerning authorities have dispatched letters that include names of around 101 individuals to the deputy commissioners.
All those individuals have spread across the area of 12 districts in the province, which includes Swat, Abbottabad and Mardan and these regions are now possible sites for the spread of the new coronavirus variant in Pakistan.
All individuals that have arrived in Pakistan would be tested as soon as they are found, for which the tracing process is currently in effect before the possible new coronavirus variant spreads further across the area with the help of its mutated properties.
Those individuals who would be tested positive would be kept under intensive quarantine to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus variant that have arrived in Pakistan from the United Kingdom, as it is said to be more dangerous than the previous COVID-19 strain.
New coronavirus variant causing the global shutdown
Numerous countries around the world have shut down their international borders of the United Kingdom from Monday due to rapidly increasing fear concerning the mutated new coronavirus variant, which is said to be around 70% more transmissible than the previously diagnosed strain of the infection.
In just the past few days, the new coronavirus variant spread from the UK had caused chaos regarding travelling to and from the region, which had consequently raised the prospect of a shortage of food and resources just days before it was set to leave from the European Union.
The new coronavirus variant has increased the fear of rapid transmission and infection, which has already killed more than 1.7 million globally, and just before the public availability of the viable coronavirus vaccine, as it would be available for every individual worldwide.
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