As oil continues its slight downward trend to $107 a barrel for Brent Crude and we wonder about the spread of the MERS virus by air travel to the USA, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended strict travel restrictions on Pakistan, making it mandatory for Pakistani citizens to carry a polio vaccination certificate during foreign travel.
The WHO said in a statement that the ongoing polio outbreaks in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East are “extraordinary” requiring a coordinated international response.
The airlines shifting more Pakistani citizens than most are PIA and Emirates with Qatar, FlyDubai, British Airways and Cathay Pacific also up there too. Time will tell if citizens still have their vaccination certificates to hand and indeed if the government will be willing and able to re-issue the same if citizens do not have them. All are scenarios which seem unlikely or at best there will be a delay as the government copes with the obvious rush to obtain certificates. This has the potential to cut Pakistan passenger traffic by a significant percentage. It may also affect construction work in the Middle East and the ability of Pakistani citizens to transit to and from sites at intervals as has been the case for many years now, this traffic is significant to FlyDubai among others.