Airports’ staffers to undergo screening for coronavirus from tomorrow

KARACHI: The aviation authorities have decided to begin screening process of all staffers at the airports across the country for novel coronavirus as country’s virus tally has reached upto 20, ARY NEWS reported citing sources.

The sources privy to details said that staffers not covering their faces with masks would not be allowed to enter the airports’ premises.

“Only one person will be allowed to accompany the passenger inside the airport,” they said.

The sources said that airlines have been directed to provide health cards to all passengers and warnings were issued to them for strict action in case of non-compliance.

Meanwhile, it has been decided to conduct thermal screening of the domestic passengers arriving at the Bacha Khan International Airport, Peshawar.

It is for the first time that thermal screening facility is made available at any airport of the country in order to check passengers for the virus.

In next phase, the thermal scanners will be installed at airports in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.

None of the coronavirus patients developed the disease in Pakistan, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday claimed, adding that all the 15 positive cases of the novel coronavirus in the province were ‘imported’.

Read More: Sindh urges Centre to set up coronavirus isolation facility at Karachi airport  

Presiding over a meeting, CM Murad Ali Shah said that all the coronavirus patients had reached in Sindh from Iran, Iraq, Syria, United Kingdom (UK) and other countries.

He maintained that over 3,000 people arriving from Iran were quarantined at Pakistan House in Taftan. The chief minister said that all the people quarantined in Taftan are healthy and added that none of them showed any symptoms of the deadly virus.