RAWALPINDI: Pakistan on Monday placed travel restrictions on UK passengers after emergence of a new mutated strain of Covid-19 that was spreading rapidly in England.

The measure is intended to restrict the spread of the variant in Pakistan, said a spokesperson for the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

A preliminary analysis, reportedly, suggests that this particular strain is approximately 70 per cent more transmissible. How­ever, there is no evidence to suggest that the infection caused by the strain is any more severe so far.

The NCOC spokesperson said many countries, including Saudi Arabia and Oman, had either completely banned or imposed additional restrictions on flights and travellers coming from the UK.

Saudi Arabia temporarily suspended international commercial flights for one week while Muscat International Airport has been closed effective from 11:59pm on Dec 21.

Following Saudi Arabia’s decision, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) cancelled its 44 flights to and from the kingdom on Monday.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) had announced late on Sunday night that all international flights — except in exceptional cases – would remain suspended for one week, which could be extended for another week.

“Foreign flights currently in the territory of the Kingdom are allowed to leave,” the GACA said in its notification issued to all airlines operating in the airports of Saudi Arabia.

However, the GACA said travel suspension would not affect cargo flights and supply chain, adding that instructions would be reviewed and updated in light of the developments related to the pandemic.

The new development came about after several European countries imposed travel ban from UK on Sunday after Britain warned that a highly infectious new strain of the virus was spreading fast.

PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez Khan, in a statement, said the airline had temporarily suspended its flights to and from Saudi Arabia for a week as per the circular issued by the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation.

PIA flights for Lahore-Jeddah-Lahore, Islamabad-Dammam-Islamabad and Karachi-Madina-Karachi have been cancelled while flights from Lahore to Madina, Madina to Karachi, Madina to Multan and Karachi-Jeddah-Karachi were also cancelled.

The PIA spokesman said: “Until flight permissions are restored, all flights will remain cancelled,” adding the affected passengers would be accommodated as soon as the flight operation for Saudi Arabia was restored.

The PIA has requested passengers to register their contact number with its call centre so that they could be timely informed about the status of flights.

Mr Khan also asked passengers to contact PIA’s call centre 111-786-786 for any guidance or information.

Direct or indirect travel from the UK would be temporarily suspended, starting from 11:59pm on Dec 22, the spokesperson said, adding that passengers who were transiting through the UK and did not leave airside during the transit would be allowed to enter Pakistan.

The spokesman further said travellers who were in or had been in the UK over the past 10 days would not be allowed to enter Pakistan, however, Pakistani passport holders, who travelled to the UK on visitor or temporary visas, would be allowed to return but would have to follow protocols.

These include producing a negative result of the PCR test taken a maximum of 72 hours prior to boarding the flight in the UK and undertaking another test on arrival as arranged by the federal and provincial governments. The passengers will be required to stay in the airport or will be taken to a government facility until the test is taken and will also be required to undergo mandatory enforced home quarantine for seven days.

On the other hand, as per the decision of the Supreme Committee of the Sultanate of Oman to prevent entry into and exit from the Sultanate in the wake of the pandemic, Muscat International Airport has been closed for international flights from 11:59pm on Dec 21.

This suspension will remain effective from Dec 22 to 29th. Following the suspension, PIA has also cancelled all flights to Muscat.

The PIA spokesperson said the airline would not operate its flights during the ban while all affected passengers would be accommodated as soon as the flights resume.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2020