Pakistan is still on the red list due to lower testing rates says the UK Government
by Naba Batool
SHARES
Pakistan is unable to provide the total and detailed data on the health situation. The UK Govt. urges that the number of fatalities is much higher than media reports.
The Britain Health Minister also argued that the rate of testing and sequencing in Pakistan is relatively lower than in other countries. The rate of testing in Pakistan currently stands at 1.8 per 1,000 in the last week. The UK representatives also debated that these stats mean that the situation is currently vague in Pakistan and we cannot assess the full genomic makeup of the current situation. Due to this vague picture, the true number is also expected to be much larger.
Disappointed with decision to retain🇵🇰on Red List. Entails continuing hardship for thousands of Pakistanis and British Pakistanis. Had shared all relevant data. Question mark over equity & consistency of criteria being employed!@grantshapps @sajidjavid @JimBethel @tariqahmadbt
— Pakistan High Commission London (@PakistaninUK) August 26, 2021
According to Lord Bethell, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care in the UK wrote in the letter that there is no other cause than this aforementioned reason that Pakistan holds steady in its position on the travel ban. He further added that UK Government is actively engaged with Pakistan’s Government to find ways to improve the data availability and confidence in the current epidemiological state of Pakistan.
Further adding he also argued that the UK Government understands the sensitivity of the topic but they also are adamant about bringing the delta strains to the doorstep of the United Kingdom.
The Pakistani Government has shared in a tweet their disappointment over UK Government’s travel ban. The Government of Pakistan insisted that they had shared all the necessary and needed data. With the reluctance shown by the UK government, thousands of Pakistani and British Pakistani are facing hardships.
