Pakistan Resumes China-Bound Flights Suspended Amid Coronavirus Outbreak - Reports

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th February, 2020) Pakistani authorities said on Monday that they were resuming all direct flights to and from China, which comes three days after such flights were suspended over the outbreak of the new type of coronavirus, the Pakistani Express Tribune newspaper reported.

Joint Secretary Aviation Division Abdul Sattar Khokhar confirmed to the media outlet that the flight operations were resumed starting Monday.

The Pakistani Civil Aviation Authority suspended all China-bound flights on Friday over the risk of the new coronavirus spreading.

On Sunday, Pakistani authorities said that the country had received at least 1,000 coronavirus testing kits from China.

According to the latest official figures, the novel coronavirus has so far killed 361 people in China and infected over 17,000 others. On Sunday, the first coronavirus-related death outside China was confirmed in the Philippines. The epidemic has spread from the Chinese city of Wuhan to more than 20 countries since late December.