Coronavirus: Pakistan suspends Iran flight operations

Pakistan on Thursday announced to suspend all flights to and from Iran as the first cases of the pandemic were confirmed in the country from travelers who had been to Iran recently, reported Geo News. 

According to the Aviation Division, the suspension will come into force today at midnight and will remain in place till further orders.

Earlier, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has also suggested the federal government to stop flights till situation is brought under control.

“Flights from Iran should be suspended immediately in order to control the situation. These are just some of the preventative measures that we can take right now to stop the spread of virus,” he said. 

Top officials sprung into action on Thursday with Punjab and Sindh adopting precautionary measures after two coronavirus cases were confirmed in the country.

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Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on health Dr Zafar Mirza on Wednesday gave the confirmation that two cases were diagnosed in the country minutes after the first case was reported in the southern port city.

"I can confirm first two cases of corona virus in Pakistan. Both cases are being taken care of according to clinical standard protocols & both of them are stable," Dr Mirza wrote on Twitter.

He also noted that there was "no need to panic [as] things are under control". The second patient, identified in Islamabad, was shifted to a quarantine in the capital's Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

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Dr Mirza on Thursday also visited the Pakistan-Iran border at Taftan to review the precautionary measures adopted after the coronavirus outbreak in Iran.

The adviser stated that the federal and the provincial governments were taking adequate measures to deal with the situation. 

“Strict screening is being done at all the airports and land routes,” assured Dr Mirza. He also advised the public to be cautious and responsible, adding that they should adopt all the measures suggested by the health ministry.

The special assistant also shared that isolation wards have been set up in hospitals for patients who will be diagnosed with coronavirus. He added that 97% of people diagnosed with the disease have successfully recovered.