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 UAE has several visa categories, including business, tourist, transit, and student.
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, when cases in Pakistan were increasing, the UAE 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, Kuwait aviation banned commercial flights to Pakistan and 30 other countries 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.
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