The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) on Friday extended travel restrictions on category-C countries — South Africa, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Ireland, Portugal and the Netherlands — till February 28, though travellers from these countries can still come to Pakistan if allowed by the National Command and Operation Centre. The PCAA also reduced the PCR test requirement for the countries categorised as B and C from 96 to 72 hours.
The travel-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the PCAA in December and January have also been extended till Feb 28.
The authority has placed 24 countries in category-A and six in category-C.
The PCAA said the international travellers from the countries placed in category-A did not require Covid-19 PCR test before entry into Pakistan. The travellers from category-B countries are required to undergo Covid-19 test before commencement of travel to Pakistan (maximum 72 hours old). However, the travellers from C-category countries are restricted and only allowed as per the guidelines provided by the NCOC.
The restrictions on travellers from C-category countries have been extended following the increasing number of cases reported there during the second wave of Covid-19.
Source: Dawn