Photo used for illustrative purpose.

The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has issued fresh guidelines for inbound airline passengers, abolishing categories ‘B’ and ‘C’ with immediate effect.

However, vaccination will be mandatory for all inbound passengers of over 15 years of age with a negative PCR report before boarding (maximum 48 hours old).

According to the guidelines, 100 per cent Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) will be essential for all the passengers arriving from Europe and minimum 50 per cent for the Gulf countries.

The PCAA said the countries included in the category ‘A’ are: Australia, Bhutan, China, Fiji, Japan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Mongolia, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Trinidad and Tobago and Vietnam.

The counties included in the category ‘C’ are: South Africa, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Comoros, Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Malawi, Seychelles, Somalia, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela and India. The countries not specified in categories ‘A’ and ‘C’ fall in the category ‘B’.

A PCAA spokesman said that the RAT test had been made mandatory for the passengers arriving from Europe because of emerging cases of Omicron, whereas such cases were less reported in the Gulf countries.

He said that the PCAA would continue to review the guidelines keeping in view the situation relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that the new variant, Omicron, has posed another great danger.