-Large number of Pakistani and Afghan citizens stranded on both sides
-Decision taken as per the orders of the NCOC
-Until next notice the Friendship Gate will remain close
DM Monitoring
PESHAWAR: Owing to a rise in the number of coronavirus cases in Afghanistan, Pakistan has imposed new travel bans on the Pak-Afghan border and has closed the Pak-Afghan friendship gate in Chaman for bilateral pedestrian traffic.
According to Deputy Commissioner Chaman Tariq Mengal, as per the decision of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the friendship gate has been closed for two-way traffic from Friday, June 18.
The Deputy Commissioner said that bilateral foot traffic to and from the friendship gate would be suspended till further orders while Pak-Afghan bilateral trade would continue.
He said Pakistanis in Afghanistan can return while following strict coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) and Afghans in Pakistan can also return to their home country.
However, the sudden closure of the gate has left a large number of Pakistani and Afghan citizens stranded on both sides of the border.
According to official statistics, Afghanistan reported 1,677 new confirmed cases of COVID on Friday, raising the total tally to 100,521, including 32,614 active cases.
The pandemic has so far claimed 4,030 lives in Afghanistan since February last year, including 87 deaths in the past 24 hours, the ministry said in a statement. An additional 728 patients were reported during the cited period to have recovered from the coronavirus epidemic, according to the statement.
According to the ministry, 552,538 tests for the COVID-19 infection have so far been carried out in Afghanistan.While on Thursday the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said, the COVID-19 pandemic is spiraling out of control in Afghanistan, with cases rising 2,400 per cent in the past month, hospitals filling up and medical resources quickly running out.
More than a third of tests last week came back positive, the IFRC said.
“Afghanistan is at a crisis point in the battle to contain COVID-19 as hospital beds are full to capacity in the capital Kabul and in many areas,” said Nilab Mobarez, Acting President of the Afghan Red Crescent Society, in a statement released by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
The surge was putting intense strain on a country where millions already live in poverty and health resources are scarce.
Afghanistan’s fragile health system has been damaged by decades of war. Violence has risen in recent months, with U.S.-led foreign forces withdrawing by September and peace negotiations between the Afghan government and insurgent Taliban largely stalled.
Major hospitals have closed their doors this week to new COVID-19 patients after an influx of cases left them with a lack of beds and oxygen shortages.
The IFRC warned that lack of vaccine access and hesitancy were exacerbating the situation. Less than 0.5 per cent of Afghans have been fully vaccinated.
