96 passengers travelling to Karachi from abroad tested positive for Covid in the past four months

Most of the passengers arriving via connecting flights from UK and South Africa were affected by the virus

KARACHI:

As many as 98 passengers arriving from abroad at the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, tested positive for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the past four months.

These figures were released by the Sindh health department in a four-month report on Thursday.

The health department report, dated December 22, 2020, to March 30, 2021, further revealed that around 11 passengers who arrived in Karachi were confirmed to have the UK Covid-19 variant, following a gene sequencing test.

It added that most of the passengers arriving in the metropolis via connecting flights from the UK and South Africa were affected by the virus.

Read: Over 200 fresh infections, five fatalities reported in Sindh

According to the provincial health department, a temporary travel ban has been maintained on the arrival of citizens from C-category countries.

In the past year, the health department has so far conducted PCR tests on more than 16,000 passengers arriving at Jinnah International airport.

Focal person for the Sindh health department Dr Zafar Mehdi said that a total of 2.6 million passengers have been thermally screened.

In addition, he added, 30,000 passengers have been tested for Covid-19 from March 2020 to March 30, 2021.