THE Government has done well by tightening the Covid-related protocols for the passengers coming in from abroad as the surge in the number of new coronavirus cases continued in different parts of the country.
The NCOC, which serves as the nerve centre of the government’s anti-pandemic strategy, had warned on Monday that the fifth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, fuelled by the Omicron variant, was spreading rapidly in Pakistan.
It is universally accepted that Pakistani authorities are acting promptly and responsibly in handling the situation created by the Covid-19 and they moved quickly on receipt of reports about spread of the new Omicron variant in South Africa in mid-November 2020.
However, despite travel bans imposed instantly from some countries, the new virus has not only reached the country but is spreading at a fast pace requiring additional measures on the part of all concerned.
According to the data released by the National Command Operation Centre (NCOC) two days back, Pakistan reported more than 700 cases of Covid-19 in a single day, the highest tally since October 24, 2020.
Genome sequencing had detected a growing number of cases of the Omicron variant, particularly in the largest city of Karachi.
In this backdrop, the decision of the Civil Aviation Authority to make Covid-19 vaccination and possession of proof of Covid-19 vaccination mandatory for all passengers above 15 years of age is a step in the right direction.
Similarly, valid negative PCR test results conducted within the 48 hours prior to commencement of travel to Pakistan are also required for all passengers above six years.
All the travellers coming from European countries would be required to take a Rapid Antigen Test upon arrival in Pakistan, while half of those onboard flights from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would be required to take the Rapid Antigen Test.
The steps announced by the CAA are in line with the best international practices that are contributing significantly in containing the spread of the virus.
Pakistan’s immunization programme is also moving ahead successfully as despite resource constraints the country has been able to inoculate 32% of the population and recently a booster shot for elderly people has also been approved.
It is because of the proactive approach of the Government that the situation in Pakistan is not as bad as in some other countries like two days a week curfew in New Delhi and one million cases of Omicron in a single day in the USA.
The WHO chief has expressed optimism that the Covid-19 virus would die down by the end of the year provided collective efforts are made by all countries and Pakistan can proudly claim that it is in the forefront of the efforts to contain the virus.
