RAWALPINDI: As many as 180 Pakistani nationals, repatriated from the United Arab Emirates, tested positive for the novel COVID-19 after reaching Pakistan.
Sources said a flight carrying 209 Pakistani nationals arrived in Rawalpindi today. Sources said that all the passengers were shifted to different quarantine facilities on their arrival.
According to health authorities, 180 tested positive and 29 tested negative. Those infected by the Covid-19 were shifted to the Fatima Jinnah University quarantine centre and have been provided medical treatment.
Others who had tested negative for the virus will be quarantined at the Rawalpindi Women University, the officials said. Earlier, more than 100 passengers who arrived from Abu Dhabi have tested positive for coronavirus.
According to health officials, a flight carrying over 200 Pakistani passengers had landed in Islamabad from Abu Dhabi on 28th April. As soon as they landed, all the passengers were screened at the airport and later shifted to the quarantine center as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) set by the government.
The samples of the passengers were sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) for testing, according to which more than 100 passengers have been tested positive.
The development, along with a rise in positive cases among passengers returning from other Gulf countries, has caused concern among officials and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Security Dr Moeed Yusuf said the matter has been taken up with UAE authorities.
ADVERTISEMENT
