Coronavirus: Pakistan suspends flight operations to China
All direct flight operations between Pakistan and China are to be stalled on an immediate basis initially till Feb 2
PHOTO: REUTERS
KARACHI:
Pakistan suspended flight to China in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak which as of Thursday has killed over 170 people and infected nearly 8,000.
A notification issued by the Civil Aviation Authority said the decision was made by the competent authority. “All direct flight operations between Pakistan and China are to be stalled on an immediate basis initially till February 2.”
The decision, it added, was subject to “subsequent review”.
Pakistan won’t evacuate citizens from China
Almost 500 Pakistanis are studying in various universities of Wuhan, which is in virtual lockdown, while the total number of Pakistani nationals in China is between 28,000 and 30,000 – most of them are students.
Earlier this week, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza disclosed that at least four Pakistani students tested positive for the mysterious pathogen.
On Thursday, the federal government said it would not evacuate Pakistani citizens – mostly students – from Wuhan.
The Chinese city of 11 million people in the central Chinese province of Hubei has been quarantined by authorities in an attempt to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“We believe it’s in the interest of our loved-ones in China [to stay there]. It’s in the larger interest of the region, the world, and the country that we don’t evacuate them now,” Dr Zafar Mirza, the special assistant to the prime minister on National Health Services, told a presser in Islamabad on Thursday.
“This is what the World Health Organisation (WHO) is saying, this is China’s policy, and this is our policy as well. We stand by China in full solidarity,” he added. “Right now the Chinese government has contained this epidemic in Wuhan city. If we act irresponsibly and start evacuating people from there, this epidemic will spread all over the world like wildfire.”
Widespread panic
The newly identified China coronavirus has created alarm because it is spreading quickly and there are still important unknowns surrounding it. The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday declared the outbreak, that has killed 170 people in China, a global emergency as cases spread to 18 countries.
The virus has an incubation of up to 14 days, and there are some limited signs it may also be able to spread before any symptoms show. Like other respiratory infections, it spreads between people in droplets from coughs and sneezes.
Here is an exclusive Express Tribune Video-Explainer on what is coronavirus and what can be done to stop it?
Presenter: Phaseeh-Ul-Haque
Video Producer: Sitara Arshad
Script by: Shaheera Anwar
Pakistan suspended flight to China in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak which as of Thursday has killed over 170 people and infected nearly 8,000.
A notification issued by the Civil Aviation Authority said the decision was made by the competent authority. “All direct flight operations between Pakistan and China are to be stalled on an immediate basis initially till February 2.”
The decision, it added, was subject to “subsequent review”.
Pakistan won’t evacuate citizens from China
Almost 500 Pakistanis are studying in various universities of Wuhan, which is in virtual lockdown, while the total number of Pakistani nationals in China is between 28,000 and 30,000 – most of them are students.
Earlier this week, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza disclosed that at least four Pakistani students tested positive for the mysterious pathogen.
On Thursday, the federal government said it would not evacuate Pakistani citizens – mostly students – from Wuhan.
The Chinese city of 11 million people in the central Chinese province of Hubei has been quarantined by authorities in an attempt to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“We believe it’s in the interest of our loved-ones in China [to stay there]. It’s in the larger interest of the region, the world, and the country that we don’t evacuate them now,” Dr Zafar Mirza, the special assistant to the prime minister on National Health Services, told a presser in Islamabad on Thursday.
“This is what the World Health Organisation (WHO) is saying, this is China’s policy, and this is our policy as well. We stand by China in full solidarity,” he added. “Right now the Chinese government has contained this epidemic in Wuhan city. If we act irresponsibly and start evacuating people from there, this epidemic will spread all over the world like wildfire.”
Widespread panic
The newly identified China coronavirus has created alarm because it is spreading quickly and there are still important unknowns surrounding it. The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday declared the outbreak, that has killed 170 people in China, a global emergency as cases spread to 18 countries.
The virus has an incubation of up to 14 days, and there are some limited signs it may also be able to spread before any symptoms show. Like other respiratory infections, it spreads between people in droplets from coughs and sneezes.
Here is an exclusive Express Tribune Video-Explainer on what is coronavirus and what can be done to stop it?
Presenter: Phaseeh-Ul-Haque
Video Producer: Sitara Arshad
Script by: Shaheera Anwar