Chaman border crossing with Afghanistan has been closed as part of Pakistan’s new travel restrictions in wake of COVID-19 surge in the neighboring country.
Tariq Mengal – Deputy Commissioner Chaman, has said that the decision to close Pak-Afghan friendship gate for people has been made on the directions of National Command and Operations Center (NCOC).
Bilateral foot traffic i.e. pedestrians from both sides will be barred from crossing the border under new travel restrictions from June 18th today.
However, Pakistanis in Afghanistan and Afghan citizens stranded in Pakistan will be allowed to return to their home countries while following strict coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs), said DC Cahaman Tariq Mengal.
The development comes as Afghanistan has experienced an exponential increase of whopping 2,400% in COVID-19 cases across the country within the last 30 days.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has warned that the country’s healthcare system might collapse as hospital beds are full to capacity in the capital Kabul and in many areas.
