Islamabad, Oct 4 (IANS): The Pakistan government has issued new standard operating procedures (SOPs) against the Covid-19 pandemic which will require travellers from affected countries to undergo a mandatory PCR test 94 hours before leaving for the country.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued the new directives which will come into from Monday and remain until December 31, The Express Tribune reported.

Accordingly, the passengers have been asked to undergo corona PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test 96 hours before departure for any airport in Pakistan.

However, passengers from countries, where the pandemic has been controlled, will be exempted.

The test would be mandatory for all passengers from "Category B" countries, where the virus is prevailing, except for children under the age of 12 years, persons with disabilities and international delegations.

The last time passengers underwent mandatory coronavirus tests was at the Karachi airport in July.

The tests were conducted by the Sindh Health Department and the results showed that 123 passengers, coming from Dubai, had contracted Covid-19.