Sheikh Rasheed announces to close Quetta-Taftan railway track

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Wednesday announced the closure of Quetta-Taftan railway track following the coronavirus outbreak in Iran, which claimed 15 lives so far, ARY News reported.

All four trains running between Quetta-Taftan will remain suspended until the closure of Quetta-Taftan border, said Rasheed in a statement.

The railways’ minister has asked passengers to cancel their all luggage bookings.

وفاقی وزیر ریلوے شیخ رشید احمد کا کوئٹہ تافتان ریلوے ٹریفک بند کرنے کا فیصلہ. pic.twitter.com/EO0z8jcAE7

— Sheikh Rashid Ahmad (@ShkhRasheed) February 26, 2020

Meanwhile, all passengers entering Pakistan will be required to submit a health declaration form, which will include their contact details and brief travel history, in order to block possible transmission of novel coronavirus in the country, according to the health authorities.

A health declaration card will be distributed amongst all passengers on flights travelling to Pakistan.

They will have to fill-up the form and hand it over to health officials upon arrival at airports across the country.

Earlier, on Feb 25, Pakistan closed its border with Iran after it reported a number of deaths from the deadly disease.

Iran’s government on Wednesday said that 15 people had died nationwide from the coronavirus outbreak, rejecting claims of a much higher death toll by a lawmaker from the city of Qom that has been at the epicenter of the virus in the country.

The outbreak in Iran began in the city of Qom, an often-visited religious destination.

Coronavirus outbreak: Train service between Quetta, Taftan suspended