Covid vaccination certificate must for air travel after Sept 10: NCOC

Decision comes after nerve centre of virus response also bans train travel for unvaccinated people from October 1

ISLAMABAD:

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Wednesday decided that complete Covid-19 vaccination certificates would become mandatory for air travel after September 10.

The nerve centre of Pakistan’s virus response also took a major decision to speed up vaccination process across the country.

The forum announced that the partial vaccination certificate would become invalid after September 10 “whereas all the provinces had been informed regarding this decision”.

The interval between the first and second doses of all types of vaccines is reduced from 42 days to 28 days, the forum added.

The decision was made in consultation with the Ministry of Health and medical experts, it said.

The NCOC had underlined that the early completion of vaccination process is useful in reducing the disease prevalence and spread in the country.

Also read: Pakistan bans train travel for unvaccinated citizens from October 1

In a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus infections, the NCOC had also announced on Monday that only vaccinated individuals would be allowed to travel by train from October 1.

The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by NCOC chief Asad Umar. During the meeting, the high-level forum expressed concern over the alarming increase in Covid-19 infections across Pakistan, particularly Rawalpindi and Peshawar.

In light of these violations, the NCOC issued instructions to the authorities concerned to ensure compliance with the anti-virus SOPs in an effective manner. The forum also deliberated upon measures taken ahead of Muharram.

The NCOC expressed satisfaction with the pace of vaccinations across Pakistan. However, it stressed that the second dose of the vaccine needed to be administered in a timely manner.

(With input from our correspondent)