COVID-19: Pakistan extends inbound travel restrictions from UK till Jan 4

December 28, 2020: Pakistan on Monday extended travel restrictions, imposed last week for inbound travel from the Brittan after detection of a new strain of SARS-COV-2 (VUI202012/01) in the Kingdom that was more transmissible than any other previously known viruses, from December 29 to January 4.

According to a notification issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the instructions stipulated in previous letters “are hereby extended till January 04, 2021, 2359 hours, where applicable. The competent forum may review the said stipulations as and when deemed in the form of further extension/revision or otherwise at an appropriate time.”

Under the newly enforced safety measures, the CAA had allowed all Pakistanis holding business, visitor and transit visas in the United Kingdom to return to the country with negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test reports for the coronavirus (COVID-19) conducted within 72 hours before boarding the plane.

Similarly, Pakistani passengers holding study, family, work and settlement visas could return to the country, if their visas were expiring within the next 30 days, with the negative PCR Test reports conducted within the 72 hours before commencement of travel to Pakistan, the authority said in a news release.

“Flight crew performing duties on flights between UK and Pakistan may disembark in Pakistan with the stipulation that such flight crew shall be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival and quarantined in their designated hotels,” the CAA said.

Following a negative test result, such flight crew would be allowed to perform duties in Pakistan and any flight crew with a positive test result would be quarantined in their designated hotels for a time period as specified by the respective health authorities.

The CAA said diplomatic officials of British High Commission and their families currently outside Pakistan could be allowed to return to Pakistan with a negative PCR test result conducted within the 72 hours before taking the flight, and “will also be subjected to mandatory quarantine with their High Commission upon arrival in Pakistan.”

APP