NCOC bans in-flight serving of meals and snacks

Islamabad: In a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19 amid the fifth wave of the pandemic, National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Saturday announced to ban serving of food in public transport and flights.

According to details, a meeting of NCOC was held in Islamabad to review the situation of coronavirus in the country.

The NCOC decided to extensively engage with provinces, especially with the Sindh government for necessary measures to tackle the rising disease.

NCOC has also decided to implement a complete ban on in-flight serving of meals and snacks from January 17. The Civil Aviation Authority was asked to ensure in-flight mask-wearing and also implement SOPs at all the airports. Serving of meals and snacks in public transport will also be banned with effect from January 17.

However, a meeting to decide about closure of schools and restricting public gatherings will be held on the same date.

On the other hand, Sindh authorities have decided to not close educational institutions across the province amid an alarming surge in coronavirus cases.

It is pertinent to remember that Pakistan reported the highest number of cases — 4,286 — since August 25, 2021, in the last 24 hours, the National Command and Operation's Centre (NCOC) data showed Saturday morning, as compared to 3,567 a day earlier.