Pakistan orders masks on domestic flights as COVID-19 numbers rise

Pakistan’s aviation regulator has mademasksmandatory ondomesticflightsgiven a gradualrisein the number ofCOVID-19 cases across the country, it said a statement.

The order comes a day afterPakistan's biggest city, Karachi, reported that itsCOVID-19 positivity ratio, or the rate of positive cases out of all tests conducted, rose to 21 per centcompared with a national rate of 2.8 per cent.

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"With immediate effect, mask wearing will be mandatory onboarddomesticflights”, thePakistanCivil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said in the statement late on Sunday.

Pakistanhas had very fewCOVIDcases over recent months and had done away with almost all precautions.

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But over the past 24 hours, the nationalCOVIDpositivity ratio hadrisen to 2.85 per centwith 382 positive cases and two deaths, according to data released on Monday by the National Institute of Health, Islamabad (NIH).

A month ago, the positivity ratio was 0.54 per centwith 79 positive cases and no deaths. According to the NIH, 85 per centof eligiblePakistanis have been fully vaccinated againstCOVID.

Pakistandisbanded the National Command and Operations Center, which was overseeing theCOVIDresponse, on March 31 as infections fell to the lowest since the outbreak began in 2020.

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