US removes Pakistan from COVID-travel advisory

By
Hassan Ahmed
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US AMbaasador shares a message upon assuming his role in Pakistan
US and Pakistan have a long-standing partnership

Washington DC, 6 April 2022: The United States (US) Department of State has removed Pakistan from its COVID-19 related travel advisory.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Level 1 Travel Health Notice for Pakistan. This indicates a low level of spread of COVID-19 in the country.

A statement by Masood Khan, the Ambassador of Pakistan to the US, said, “The US State Department has removed COVID-related travel remarks for its travel advisory for Pakistan.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 1 Travel Health Notice for Pakistan due to COVID-19, indicating a low level of COVID-19 in the country.”

COVID-19 Pandemic in Pakistan

The virus reached Pakistan in February 2020. Pakistan has the world’s 29th-highest death toll and 29th-highest number of confirmed cases. Considering that it is the world’s 5th largest country by population, the handling of COVID-19 was somewhat successful.

Pakistan experienced three different waves of COVID-19. The first wave of the pandemic started in late May 2020 and peaked in mid-June when daily cases and death rates reached high points. It ended in mid-July.

After the first wave, Pakistan’s COVID-19 situation subsided death rates and testing positivity rates in the country stabilized at low levels. The second wave began in November 2020.

This wave was low in its intensity, mainly affected the southern province of Sindh, and peaked in mid-December 2020. The country’s third wave began in mid-March 2021 when testing positivity rates and daily new confirmed cases and deaths began to increase.

This wave peaked in late April 2021. Since then, positivity rates, new cases, and death rates are declining. The continued decline in cases and death rates has led to improvement in the COVID-19 situation in the country.

US-Pakistan Relations During COVID-19

During the pandemic, authorities of both sides imposed different levels of travel restrictions between the two countries at different times. Moreover, both countries also engaged in cooperation to deal with the pandemic.