As Covid cases surge, Pak to strictly monitor passengers from India: Report

Indian passengers arriving in Pakistan through air or land routes, including via Kartarpur Corridor, will undergo telescopic monitoring at all entry points due to the rising coronavirus cases in India

Indian passengers arriving in Pakistan through air or land routes, including via the Kartarpur Corridor, will undergo telescopic monitoring at all entry points due to the rising coronavirus cases in India, a media report said on Monday.

According to the Union Health Ministry data on Monday, India's tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,39,05,621 after the country reported 16,866 new coronavirus infections in a day.

The daily positivity rate crossed 7 per cent again after a gap of 168 days. A total of 41 new fatalities have been reported, the data updated on Monday stated.

The Directorate of Health Sciences in Pakistan issued a circular on the instructions of Health Minister Qadir Patel. Allama Iqbal International Airport (AIIP) has made foolproof arrangements for monitoring Indian passengers.

As per instructions, monitoring of Indian passengers will be conducted at all entry points including airports, the Wagah-Attari border, and Peace Corridor Kartarpur Gurdwara, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus positivity rate has decreased from 2.96 per cent to 2.74 per cent across Pakistan, according to the statistics issued by the National Institute of Health (NIH) on Sunday.

Three people have died of Covid-19-related complications in the last 24 hours in the country, it said, adding that 19,402 Covid-19 tests were conducted, out of which 532 came out positive during this period.

The Pakistan government has asked people to get vaccinated against the virus amid reports that people are delaying booster shots as the BA.5 variant spreads rapidly.

The government has so far refrained from imposing another round of blanket restrictions.

However, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Friday issued SOPs for the month of Muharram, advising people to wear masks and use hand sanitisers to prevent infections.

The central command centre also issued strict instructions to conduct proper screening of people coming in from India at all entry points of the country.