Pakistan to do rapid antigen tests for flights from the Gulf

Passengers, traveling from Gulf states and Saudi Arabia will be randomly screened (Rapid Antigen Test) at Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad airports beginning Saturday, just days after the first case of Omicron sub-variant was identified in Pakistan.

The National Institute of Health’s Centre for Disease Control in Islamabad, which made the decision in the wake of the Omicron sub-variant, advised the authorities to maintain a careful eye on surveillance and monitoring at entrance points.

Initially, Rapid Antigen Testing will be conducted on 10 to 15 passengers arriving on planes with 150 seats and between 15 and 20 passengers arriving on planes with a minimum capacity of 250 seats.

On May 10, Pakistan detected its first case of Omicron sub-variant, the National Institute of Health (NIH) announced.

The National Command Operation Centre (NCOC), which was tackling Covid-19 in Pakistan, was shut down on March 31.

On March 16, NCOC decided to lift all the Covid-19 related restrictions amid the decline in cases.