China imposes temporary travel ban on Pakistan passengers due to Covid-19

China has imposed a temporary travel ban on Pakistani passengers after 10 of them tested positive for COVID-19.

According to Geo News, China has also stopped operating flights from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) for three weeks.

PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez confirmed that the national carrier has temporarily halted the flights after the development.

Pakistani passengers, who travelled to China with a negative coronavirus test report, later tested positive upon arrival, informed the spokesperson.

On Thursday, China reported 144 COVID-19 infections, the highest number of cases in over 10 months, due to a severe outbreak in the northeast that has put over 28 million people under lockdown, reported Geo News.

North China's Hebei Province reported 90 locally transmitted infections and nine asymptomatic cases on Thursday.

By the end of Thursday, there were 553 locally transmitted confirmed cases and two imported cases being treated in hospitals in Hebei, Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, Pakistan on Friday recorded 2,417 new infections and 45 deaths, reported ARY News.

The total COVID-19 caseload in Pakistan stands at 514,338, along with 10,863 deaths.