ISLAMABAD: A day after the Health Ministry directed authorities concerned to remain alert following the possible spread of coronavirus from China, Pakistan on Thursday started screening at four major airports all passengers arriving from the neighbouring country. A SARS-like virus has claimed 17 lives since emerging on December 31 in a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan. “In view of the current outbreak of coronavirus in China, Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority has introduced new screening measures to prevent the virus from entering the country through air travellers,” a CAA press release said. Moreover, at the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi; Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore; and Bacha Khan International Airport, Peshawar, the CAA has also installed state-of-the-art thermal scanner at arrivals for immediate identification of the infected passengers by health officials. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) tweet, the authority’s chief is vigilant about the spread of coronavirus across Asia.

Source: Pakistan Today January 23, 2020 18:45 UTC