In a bid to boost international tourism, Emirates Airlines has added more laboratories for Pakistani passengers from where they can conduct their COVID-19 tests before their travel. As per reports, a number of public entities have been added to the list of approved laboratories, increasing the total number to 133 centres.

Among the newly-added approved medical facilities, 28 are in Karachi, 27 in Lahore, 19 in Islamabad, nine in Rawalpindi, eight in Peshawar and three in Quetta.

Besides these, there are approved labs in Multan, Faisalabad, Wah, Wazirabad, DG Khan, Mardan, Sawabi, Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh, Rawlakot, Gilgit, Sargodha, Hyderabad, Sawat, DI Khan, Sialkot, Sehwan, Larkana, Sukkar, Abottabad, Bannu, Chitral, Gawadar, Mirpur, and Skardu, among other areas.

For passengers traveling from Pakistan to Hong Kong or China in particular, Emirates Airlines has stated that a COVID-19 negative test certificate from a Pakistan Government-approved medical facility will be accepted at the airport. Essentially, a government-approved lab provides a QR code embedded printed certificate for verification purposes to the person who gets tested for COVID-19.

The carrier also stated that travellers flying from Pakistan to Dubai Airblue can get themselves tested for COVID-19 at Gerry's Nayab Lab and Doctor Diagnostic Laboratory and Consultants (DDLC).

Welcoming the new additions to the list of approved labs, UAE residents and tourists hailed the move. Speaking to media, Dubai resident Naeem Ahmed said that it is a great step because his family had to go from Sialkot to Lahore to take the PCR tests before their journey.

Lahore-based Zakir Khan welcomed the development, stating that earlier there were only a few approved labs where people could take their tests.

"Most of them were crowded and it took two-three hours to undergo tests. We are happy that these additional labs will reduce long queues," he added.

List of approved public sector medical facilities for COVID-19 tests:

·        Islamabad: National Institute of Health; Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences

·        Punjab: AIDS Control Program & Hepatitis Lab; Forensic Science Auth Lab; Jinnah Hospital; PKLI; Lahore General Hospital; CAMB; UVAS (BSL-3); Lahore TB Program (BSL-3); Institute of Public Health Lahore

·        Rawalpindi: Medical University (Holy Family); Benazir Bhutto Hospital; Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology

·        Karachi: Dow University; PCMD Karachi University