London, 9 August 2021 (TDI): The British High Commission Pakistan has stated in a tweet that the UK is proud of the great relationship with its 1.6 million Pakistanis. In an aftermath of the UK government’s decision to keep Pakistan on the red list and shifting India to the amber list, the UK has clarified that the decision relating to Pakistan is based on research of the COVID-19 situation in Pakistan. Specifically, the decision is based on the NCOC data that is shared with UK officials in London every week.
According to UK Minister for Public Health Jo Churchill, Pakistan faces a “ deteriorating epidemiological situation, combined with low testing rates and limited genomic surveillance” which makes it susceptible to the outbreak and unidentification of new virus variants or VoC (Variant of concern).
Furthermore, saying that the UK and Pakistan are “ek saath” in the campaign against COVID-19, the resumption of normal travel was ensured keeping public safety in mind.
