The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan, recently stated that the triple mutant variant of the coronavirus from India (B.1.617.2) has not reached Pakistan.
Measures like reduced inbound international traffic, COVID-19 testing of travelers on arrival at airports, and quarantine for travelers who test positive are being strictly implemented to avoid the spread of the deadly Indian variant.
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Dr. Sultan commented,
We have reduced inbound air traffic by 80 percent and we are asking all passengers to get tested before boarding while they are also being tested on arrival. We are keeping those testing positive in quarantine to ensure the variant dubbed as triple mutant or Indian variant does not manage to get into Pakistan.
When prompted to give further assurances, he explained that although it is impossible to “exclude anything in a country of 220 million [people]”, the government lacks the documentation to refute the claim that the virus has not breached Pakistan’s borders.
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India’s triple mutant coronavirus variant is the deadliest one to date that has killed thousands and infected over a million people in less than three weeks.
While most countries fear that the new strain might infiltrate their borders any day now, Pakistan has a little security bubble for the time being because of the travel barrier between the two countries.
