ABU DHABI – The United Arab Emirates will temporarily stop receiving passengers on flights coming from Pakistan, the country’s civil aviation authority said on Sunday.
This suspension, effective Monday, will stand until a laboratory is set up for COVID-19 tests, according to the United Arab Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority (GCCA).
The move is being made to ensure the health and safety of arrivals from Pakistan, with the GCCA saying that passengers on all flights, including transfers, will not be allowed at UAE airports, the Emirates’ state news agency WAM reported.
The decision also applies to transit flights originating from Pakistan.
The GCCA is urging all passengers who are affected by this decision to contact their airlines or travel agents to make alternate plans.
Pakistan International Airlines serves four cities in the UAE from numerous cities in Pakistan, including Lahore and Karachi.
The announcement comes as Pakistan has surpassed 206,000 cases of the coronavirus and has accumulated over 4,100 deaths.
The United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, has recorded just over 47,000 cases while 313 people have lost their lives since the virus outbreak earlier this year.
