Pakistan halts flights to and from China as death toll from coronavirus rises – Pakistan

Pakistan suspended flights to and from China on Friday with immediate effect, a civil aviation official said, while the death toll from a virus outbreak in China increased and the World Health Organization called it a global health emergency.

"We are suspending flights to China until February 2," said joint aviation secretary Abdul Sattar Khokhar Reuters by phone, adding that the situation would be reviewed after that date.

He declined to comment on the reason for the closure.

On Thursday, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) decided to suspend flights to Beijing until February 2.

Khokhar said Dawn that PIA had been operating two flights between Pakistan and China but had decided to suspend flight operations.

PIA had started two flights a week to Tokyo and Beijing in May 2019 after a three month gap.

Yesterday, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Health, Dr. Zafar Mirza, announced that the government had decided not to repatriate Pakistani citizens stranded in China according to WHO recommendations.

"We believe that right now, it is in the interest of our loved ones in China [to stay there]. It is of greater interest to the region, the world, the country that we do not evacuate now, "he told reporters at a press conference in Islamabad.

"This is what the World Health Organization says, this is the policy of China and this is also our policy. We support China in total solidarity," he said.

"At this time, the Chinese government has contained this epidemic in Wuhan City. If we act irresponsibly and begin to evacuate people there, this epidemic will spread throughout the world like a forest fire."

"So far, China has not allowed evacuation [of people]", said." Of course, they will remind me that the United States has evacuated its diplomatic staff, not all citizens. This is a condition of the Vienna Convention that dictates that the host country may allow diplomats to leave if their country wants them to return. "

Mirza said at the press conference that the embassy in China was in contact with Pakistani citizens. He said the government believes that China's policies to contain the virus were adequate, noting that China was the first country to develop kits to diagnose the coronavirus.

A day earlier, Mirza had announced that up to four Pakistani students in China were diagnosed with the coronavirus. A large proportion of the Pakistanis living in China were students, of which more than 500 students were based in the central city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the new virus.

According to health officials, a man who returned to Karachi from Wuhan is being
kept in an isolation room for two weeks. Your blood samples have been sent to Islamabad.
and will be released if the test results are negative.

In the first important response to the WHO declaration of a worldwide emergency due to the spread of the coronavirus, when the Chinese authorities increased the number of victims to 213 deaths and almost 10,000 infections, the United States told its citizens not to travel to China .

Chinese FM reassures FM Qureshi

Also on Friday, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in a telephone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, discussed in detail the situation in China after the outbreak of coronavirus, a statement from the Foreign Ministry said.

China's Foreign Minister told Qureshi that the Chinese government was extending all possible assistance to the Pakistani community and "facilitating them as their own citizens," according to the statement. He said WHO praised the Chinese government's response to the virus outbreak.

Wang also detailed the precautionary measures taken by the Chinese government to contain the spread of the virus.

According to the brochure, Qureshi expressed satisfaction with China's efforts to cope with the outbreak and thanked Chinese leaders for paying "special attention" to the Pakistani community in the country, especially students.

"The Pakistani people and government are with the Chinese government and people in this difficult hour," said Qureshi.

Measures to prevent infection.

The National Institute of Health (NIH), as well as international health agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Health Service of the United Kingdom (NHS) have issued public notices listing the preventive measures they should taken to prevent the spread of the virus. .

Here are some simple steps you can take to avoid being infected:

Wash your hands regularly for not less than 10 seconds with soap and water. It is also recommended to use an alcohol-based disinfectant.

Wear a mask and avoid close contact with anyone with a cough or flu. Fever, cough and respiratory problems have been identified as early symptoms of coronavirus.

If you have any of the above symptoms, contact a doctor as soon as possible.

Cover your mouth and nose with your hand or tissue while coughing or sneezing to protect others from germs. Dispose of the tissue immediately and wash / disinfect your hands.

While visiting a live market in an area where the virus has been detected, avoid contact with animals.

Avoid eating undercooked meat. Raw meat should be handled with care to avoid contamination.

Additional reports by Qazi Hassan