First flight from China lands at Islamabad airport after temporary halt

ISLAMABAD: The first flight from China on Monday landed at the Islamabad International airport, carrying as many as 61 Pakistanis stranded in Ürümqi, China due to coronavirus, ARY News reported.

The flight of a private airline reached Islamabad after a temporary suspension of flight operation to China amid coronavirus outbreak as a precautionary measure.

The passengers were allowed to go to their homes following complete medical checkup.

Meanwhile, the second flight from China will land at Islamabad airport around 9:30 am.

On Friday, Pakistan had halted flights to and from China as the death toll from a virus outbreak spreading in China mounted and the World Health Organisation (WHO) called it a global health emergency.

Read more: Coronavirus outbreak: CAA suspends direct flight operations between Pakistan, China

“Please be informed that as per a decision by the Competent Authority at the appropriate level, all direct flight operations between Pakistan and China are to stalled on an immediate basis, initially till February 2, subject to subsequent review,” read a notification.

Earlier today in a Tweet, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Health Dr Zafar Mirza said that Pakistan had acquired coronavirus testing kits.

“Alhamdolilah, as of today we have now capability of diagnosing #Coronarivus in Pakistan,” he said, applauding the National Institute of Health (NIH) leadership and team for their “hard work in securing the reagent for diagnosing.”