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Bahrain suspends entry to visitors from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal to curb spread of COVID-19
The Government of Pakistan on Sunday issued a list of 49 authorized laboratories from which people wishing to travel from the U.A.E. to Pakistan must secure negative COVID PCR tests prior to commencement of travel.
A statement issued by the Pakistan Embassy in the U.A.E. said that all passengers—whether Pakistani nationals or foreigners and regardless of airline—wishing to travel into Pakistan must secure negative COVID-19 PCR tests from the designated facilities. This decision comes into effect from Saturday, May 29.
Of the 49 authorized facilities, 10 are located in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain; eight each in Dubai and Fujairah; seven each in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah; five in Ajman and four in Umm Al Quwain.
The Pakistani Consulate in Dubai, likewise, directed all airlines operating flights to Pakistan to only accept negative COVID-19 PCR tests from the designated facilities.
The decision comes into effect less than two weeks after authorities in Pakistan reported that dozens of travelers from Gulf countries were testing positive for COVID-19 upon their arrival, raising questions over the validity of the test results they had been presenting to authorities prior to commencement of their travel.
Travel bans
The U.A.E., earlier this month, imposed a ban on passengers coming from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus and the entry of any new mutated strains.
On Sunday, Bahrain announced that it, too, was suspending entry of travelers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal in a bid to control the entry of variant strains of COVID-19. In a statement, the Gulf state’s Civil Aviation Affairs announced that the entry ban would not apply to Bahraini citizens and residency visa holders, adding that all travelers—regardless of status—would have to provide a negative PCR test prior to commencement of travel, and submit to 10 days in quarantine upon arrival.
Bahrain would also require a precautionary 10-day quarantine for all vaccinated and non-vaccinated visitors, regardless of state of origin.