ISLAMABAD, JAN 6 (DNA) – The Civil Aviation Authority has issued a list of new SOPs for international passengers coming to Pakistan according to the categories their country of origin has been placed in due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a notification issued on Tuesday, the authority said 23 countries have been placed in Category A. This means that inbound passengers from these countries will not have to get a coronavirus tests prior to travel.

The countries in this category are:

• Australia
• China
• Cote D’Ivoire
• Cuba
• Fiji
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Kazakhstan
• Laos
• Maldives
• New Zealand
• Nigeria
• Norway
• Rwanda
• South Korea
• Saudi Arabia
• Senegal
• Singapore
• South Sudan
• Sri Lanka
• Togo
• Uruguay
• Vietnam
• Zambia

All other countries have been placed in Category B which will require inbound passengers to get a PCR test at least 96 hours before traveling.

If the passengers fail to show their negative test results, the airline will not issue a boarding pass. It will also be responsible for making sure that SOPs are followed.

The new instructions will be valid until March 31.

Aircrafts have to be disinfected before and after boarding and all members of the cabin and crew will have to wear face masks at all times except when having food.

The SOPs added that passengers should occupy only the seats allocated to them while the washroom has to be disinfected after every 60 minutes.=DNA

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