COVID crisis: India considering health restrictions on travellers from Pakistan

As coronavirus numbers increase in Pakistan, India is considering to put health restrictions on travellers coming from the country. The total Active COVID cases in Pakistan stand at 73,213 as of August 2.

Sources say, "In view of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Pakistan, relevant Indian authorities are considering to impose health-related restrictions, including institutional quarantine, for all travellers originating from Pakistan."

According to Pakistan's National Command & Operation Centre, the last 24 hours saw 40 deaths with most deaths occurring in Sindh followed by Punjab. 4858 people tested COVID-19 positive on 1 August. 

Meanwhile, Pakistan has announced a number of new restrictions domestically to control the situation. Federal Planning Minister Asad Umar announced the resumption of 50 % work-from-home policy, public transport to operate with 50% occupancy.

The restrictions apply in major cities like Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan, Peshawar, Abbottabad, Karachi and Hyderabad & National Capital Islamabad. The country has also detected the Epsilon strain of Covid-19 which is highly transmissible.