The United Arab Emirates temporarily suspended the issuance of new visas to visitors from 12 countries.
Islamabad:
The United Arab Emirates temporarily suspended issuing new visas to visitors from Pakistan and 11 other countries on Wednesday until further notice, the Foreign Ministry said.
The decision by the UAE authorities is believed to be “related to the second wave of COVID-19,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in a statement.
“We have learned that the UAE has temporarily suspended the issuance of new visit visas until further announcement for 12 countries, including Pakistan,” he said, adding that the government is seeking official confirmation from the UAE authorities on this matter.
However, the suspension would not apply to visas already issued, the Foreign Ministry said.
It was not immediately clear how many visa categories would be affected by the suspension. The United Arab Emirates has several visa categories, including business, tourist, transit, and students.
The other countries affected by the new visa directives from the UAE government include Turkey, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Libya, Kenya and Afghanistan.
In June, as cases were on the rise in Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates airline Emirates announced the temporary suspension of passenger services from Pakistan until July 3. The decision was made after some 30 Pakistanis who arrived in Hong Kong aboard an Emirates flight tested positive for the virus. . The airline resumed its flights in July, Dawn News reported.
In August, Kuwaiti aviation banned commercial flights to Pakistan and another 30 countries were deemed “high risk” due to the spread of the coronavirus.
The number of infections has increased in Pakistan since the end of last month and authorities have stated that the country was witnessing the second wave of COVID-19. The positivity rate for the disease has increased, especially in major cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, and Hyderabad.
On Monday, Prime Minister Imran Khan urged people to “act as a nation” to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, which has so far infected 363,380 people and claimed 7,230 lives in the country.
.
