Omicron variant: Pakistan bans entry of travellers from 6 African countries, Hong Kong

According to a notification issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), travellers will not be allowed to enter from six southern African countries including South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini and Botswana, as well as Hong Kong.

Pakistanis travelling from these countries on extreme emergency will only be allowed after obtaining exemption.

To be allowed to enter from these countries, travellers must have a vaccination certificate and a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours before boarding the plane. They will have to undergo a rapid antigen test at the airport after reaching Pakistan. In case of a negative test result, travellers will have to home quarantine themselves for three days and undergo another rapid antigen test. Those with positive results will have to quarantine for 10 days and undergo a PCR test on the 10th day.