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Pakistan quarantines hundreds of pilgrims from Iran, as it steps up efforts to contain coronavirus
- The surge in coronavirus cases in Iran has resulted in Pakistan shutting its border, suspending flights and closing schools
- Last year as many as 120,000 Pakistani pilgrims travelled to Iran, which is a popular destination for Shia Muslims
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While coronavirus fears in Pakistan were initially centred on the thousands of Chinese and Pakistani nationals travelling between the two countries every month, a surge of cases in Iran, with which the South Asian nation shares a border, has fuelled new concerns and led to a host of measures to contain the spread of the virus.
Pakistan on Tuesday confirmed its fifth patient with Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus that emerged in China’s Hubei province late last year. The 45-year-old woman had arrived from Iran a few days earlier, and the four other cases also had a history of travel to Iran, which has seen over 2,300 cases and 92 deaths related to the disease.
On Monday, Pakistan closed its 956km-long border with Iran till March 9, while the southern province of Sindh extended the closure of all schools to prevent children from mingling with each other and potentially fuelling a community spread of the virus.
Hundreds of Pakistanis typically move through the border with Iran in Chaman every day, including businessmen and pilgrims.
Last year, as many as 120,000 Pakistani pilgrims travelled to Iran. Cities such as Mashhad and Qom are considered holy for Pakistan’s Shiite minority Muslims, with the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad a favoured destination for these pilgrims.
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