Sialkot International Airport becomes Pakistan's first airport to offer rapid PCR testing

• The UAE has allowed entry to passengers from Pakistan, subject to a rapid PCR test.
  
• Sialkot airport manager says 122 passengers travelled to Dubai with reports of rapid PCR tests after the facility became available on Monday.
• Passengers paid for their own tests, says airport manager.

ISLAMABAD: The Sialkot International Airport has become Pakistan’s first airport to have a rapid Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing facility, Arab News reported on Tuesday.

The step was taken after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) made PCR testing mandatory for individuals flying to Dubai from Pakistan and some other South Asian countries, read the report.

The publication stated that the UAE, on August 5, lifted restrictions on passengers from Pakistan, India, Nigeria and other countries.

The National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority (NCEMA) has said that passengers from these destinations would be able to transit through UAE airports as long as they present negative rapid PCR tests taken 72 hours prior to departure.

The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) had written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the lack of such a facility at airports and asked it to speak to UAE authorities to reconsider this condition.

It said, in its letter to the Foreign Office, that only rapid antigen testing was currently available at the airports.

However, an official of Sialkot International Airport, Nisar Ahmad told Arab News that the airport authorities have now arranged a rapid PCR testing facility the airport with the help of a city lab and research center.

The facility has been operational since Monday night; however, the passengers have to pay to avail it, he said.

He further stated that a total of 122 passengers have travelled to Dubai after getting their tests done from the facility.

A PCAA spokesperson, Saad bin Ayub, said that the authority’s aim was to convince the UAE government to accept rapid antigen testing, instead of Rapid PCR tests, by requesting the Foreign Office to use diplomatic links for the purpose.

But the PCAA was told by the ministry that the UAE government insists on rapid PCR testing, he said.

Ayub’s statement was confirmed by the UAE embassy in Islamabad, which said: “Yes, rapid PCR is mandatory for all nationalities and destinations.”