Arbaeen pilgrims urged to follow mandated one-day quarantine

NCOC also advises pilgrims returning from Iraq to cooperate with administration and act like responsible citizens

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has said that a one-day quarantine period is put in place for the visitors returning from Arbaeen pilgrimage to limit the risk of spread of the novel coronavirus as well as for their own protection.

A statement issued by the country's nerve centre for Covid-19 response said on Friday that special permission was given for the occasion of Arbaeen so that pilgrims could perform their religious obligations.

It said that Iraq is on the list of category C countries in terms of the rapid spread of the deadly virus and direct flights from countries in this category were suspended.

The NCOC said that the pilgrims were also notified about the quarantine by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Foreign Office.

It further advised the citizens to cooperate with the administration and act like responsible citizens.

Also read: CAA extends travel curbs on C-category countries

The statement came after reports emerged about people refusing to go to quarantine after arriving at the Karachi airport from Iraq.

Arbaeen marks the end of the 40-day mourning period for the seventh-century martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The annual pilgrimage usually sees millions of worshippers, mostly Iraqis and Iranians, converge on the central city of Karbala on foot.

Some 14 million attended in 2019, according to official figures, a third of them foreigners who came mostly from Iran, the Gulf, Pakistan and Lebanon.