Pakistan International Airlines and Federal Ministry of Health Pakistan are kicking the ball of question “who is responsible for sending Corona victims to Denmark on June 06, 2020 in Flight PK 8771.”? Danish authorities said 6 victims that included 4 when they boarded the plane + 2 =6 when plane landed at Copenhagen. Now the authorities are counting the number 16+2= 18 with fears of more.
Danish authorities are not confirming that they are Danish citizen or Pakistani Danish people. The plane took 318 passengers from Islamabad with no transit to Norway.
General Manager Press PIA Mr Abdullah in response to the question said that “PIA accepts passengers when they are cleared from Health Ministry. Even before boarding the passengers get temperature and other health checks.”
“Do the Danish Authorities maintain 100 % COVID-19 screening at their airports? We have the same rules and we sometimes get tens of passengers who test positive. In UK they do not do the testing on arrival but ask the passengers to remain in quarantine for 14 days.”
Mr Sajid, Press Officer of SAPM for Health Dr Zafar Mirza, while replying on telephone call was not ready to take any responsibility and sent the ball back to PIA’s court. He said the ministry has nothing to do with the clearance of the passengers. PIA is the write forum to be asked this question.
PRO of SAPM for Overseas Mr Zulfiqar Bukhari was also approached but he did not replied to the question.
Danish media dr.dk and Urdu web urduhamasr.dk reported that corona cases are related to flights from Pakistan. The Agency for Patient Safety will not rule out the possibility that more cases of infection may be identified in the future in relation to the departure.
The Patient Safety Agency has found 18 cases of coronavirus infection, which can be traced back to a plane flying from Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, to Copenhagen on June 6.The board said on Thursday. On Tuesday, the board told six people from the plane were registered infected.
Of the 18 infected, 16 were on board the aircraft, while two people were close contacts who were subsequently tested positive but who were not on board.
Four people are believed to have been contagious at the time they were on board the aircraft, writes the Danish Patient Safety Agency. All relevant persons have been contacted by the Danish Agency for Patient Safety.
Nevertheless, the Danish Agency for Patient Safety will not rule out that more cases of infection can be identified in the future in relation to the departure.
The case clearly illustrates that it is incredibly important that we continue to look after ourselves and each other by following the recommendations to keep distance, have good hygiene and allow us to test, writes the Director of the Patient Safety Board Anette Lykke Petri.
On Tuesday, the board announced for the first time that the aircraft had been brought to Denmark from the plane from Pakistan. Here, the agency said it was a flight number PK8771 from Islamabad, which landed at Copenhagen Airport on June 6.
There were 318 passengers on board. It is not known if the infected continue to be in Denmark, as this is personal sensitive information.
But on Tuesday, the Danish Patient Safety Board stated that the infected persons had been on the plane with a view to entering Denmark.
The Board did not want to state whether it is Danish or foreign nationals. All passengers who have been on board the aircraft are urged to pay special attention to the symptoms of coronavirus.
Tazeen Akhtar
