UAE suspends issuance of visit visas to 12 countries including Pakistan
The United Arab Emirates has temporarily suspended the issuance of visit visas to a dozen countries_ including Pakistan_ until further notice_ Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri confirmed on Wednesday. The development was confirmed by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez_ who said that written instructions had not been issued to the airline so far. He said that people holding iqama_ transit and work visas were still allowed entry in the UAE. It was not immediately clear how many categories of visas would be affected by the suspension. The UAE has various visa categories including business_ tourist_ transit_ student etc. In June_ when cases Covid-19 in Pakistan were on the rise_ UAE airline Emirates had announced temporary suspension of passenger services from Pakistan till July 3. The decision came after around 30 Pakistanis who arrived in Hong Kong onboard an Emirates flight tested positive for the virus. The airline resumed its flights in July. In August_ Kuwait's aviation banned commercial flights to 31 countries_ including Pakistan_ regarded as 'high risk' due to the spread of the coronavirus. The number of infections has been rising in Pakistan since late last month and authorities have declared that the country was witnessing the second wave of Covid-19. For the past six days_ Pakistan has recorded more than 2_000 daily cases of the novel coronavirus and officials have warned that the positivity rate of the disease has increased_ especially in major cities including Karachi_ Lahore_ Islamabad_ Faisalabad_ Hyderabad etc. On Monday_ Prime Minister Imran Khan had urged the people to "act as a nation" in order to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The premier announced new restrictions on public events_ including the suspension of his party's political rallies_ and stressed the implementation of mask-wearing and social distancing to control the spread of the virus. The other countries hit by the UAE government's fresh visa directives include Turkey_ Iran_ Yemen_ Syria_ Iraq_ Somalia_ Libya_ Kenya and Afghanistan.
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