NCOC expands testing capacity in high-risk areas amid Omicron outbreak

ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) on Monday decided to expand testing capacity in the high-risk areas of the country amid the outbreak of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad along with the SAPM, Dr Faisal Sultan, NCOC chief Asad Umar said that the South African variant of the pandemic is most dangerous as compared to earlier ones.

He apprehended that the new variant of the coronavirus will come to Pakistan.

He said that ban has been slapped on the arrival of the travelers from the countries, where the Omicron virus has been detected adding that further steps are being taken in this context.

Terming the vaccination, the only solution to fight the virus, Asad Umar appealed masses to get get the vaccine jabs as soon as possible.

Read more: PAKISTAN REPORTS FEWER THAN 200 NEW COVID CASES

“Decision about booster shots will be taken tomorrow,” Umar announced.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has notified a new travel advisory for Category-C countries after the emergence of a new COVID variant, Omicron. The CAA has enlisted 17 countries in the fresh travel advisory, South Africa, Hong Kong, Iraq, Namibia and Ukraine among them.

The passengers traveling from the category-c countries would require permission from the NCOC to enter Pakistan. “They would have to compulsorily provide evidence of full Covid-19 vaccination,” the CAA notified.