Covid-19 SOPs - Hunza Guides Pakistan

Travel to Pakistan and COVID-19 SOPs

The outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has brought about unprecedented challenges on multiple fronts. Travel and tourism, being one of the largest industries in the world today is also exposed to unique challenges and in a fight for its survival. Living a memorable adventure in complete safety has always been the first concern of Hunza Guides and this very special year will be no exception to this rule. We will continue to make you travel, make you dream and make you discover wonderful places in complete safety. To do this, we invite you to take note of the measures during your trip.

Hunza Guides Pakistan is ready to assist our travelers throughout this challenging period. Government of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan had great success in controlling the first outbreak compare to other countries. Government of Pakistan has made one thing clear that there will be no lockdown again. Strict SOPs will be implemented to deal with the spread of COVID.

COVID-19 SOPs for traveling to Pakistan by Hunza Guides

In order to ensure your safety, the following precaution are being taken by us:

We are constantly following World Health Organization (WHO)’s updates on the pandemic and disseminating relevant information to our staff, partners and collaborators.
We are following Pakistan government’s relevant organizations linked to health and tourism and constantly following their guidelines to update our SOPs. These organizations include National Tourism Corporation Board, Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC), Civil Aviation, National Highway Authority, Ministry of National Health Services Regulations & Coordination, National Command Operation Center, etc. We are trying our best to follow these SOPs in letter and spirit.
We ensure all of our employees including tour guides and drivers must be well-informed about all COVID related operating SOPs. We also conduct sensitization sessions for staff on upgraded hygiene standards.
At our offices we are following the SOPs provided by National Tourism Corporation Board.
We are providing pre-departure information to all our traveler guests.
Before arrival, we are asking all our guest travelers to sign an undertaking to follow SOPs of Pakistan’s federal, provincial or regional governments, services providers, Hotels, Guest Houses, Lodges, Restaurants, Transporters, Airliners.
We are ensuring temperature checks at the start of the day for whole staff which is mandatory for guests, tour guide and driver. Anybody running a temperature of more than 98.6° F should be politely asked to keep distance and our guides have full knowledge of nearest hospital/medical facility for testing where possible.
We are only providing approved reputable and hygienic restaurants which adopt/practice precautionary measures and provide liquid soap/ handwashing facilities etc.
Guest instructions to be placed in the seat pockets; the information booklet must cover all the steps being taken by the Hunza Guides for safety and sanitization procedures.
Travelers shall be seated in a staggered way so that necessary social distance maybe ensured and would be required to wear masks throughout the journey.
A written undertaking assuring adherence to SOPS/Instructions issued by Federal, Provincial or Regional Governments shall be provided by Hunza Guides prior to commencement of journey.
According to law, we will share complete details of group members with relevant authorities. All travelling groups shall be scanned before entry To and Exit from any province / region.
We are working with only approved hotels and accommodation facilities for providing boarding and lodging facility to our guests. (List of approved hotels and accommodation facilities strictly following the SOPs will be provided by the provincial/regional tourism departments).
In case operation of expeditions in remote areas, provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the Safety Team in case of any requirements, train the Safety Team to handle and wear disposable PPE equipment in case they have to evacuate a potential suspected case.
During travel, the stop over stay or stay for meals will also be arranged at the pre-approved restaurants/hotels.
We ensure to disinfect and clean guest luggage before every departure.

COVID-19 Updates Pakistan

Important Links and SOPs for Travelers

Travelers entering Pakistan must:

Provide traveler contact information through:
- The PassTrack mobile app or An accessible web-based form
Undergo screening by a health official
Provide a certificate of negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test

Mandatory COVID-19 RT-PCR required prior to travel

Starting 5^th October 2020, all International Travelers to Pakistan will require a mandatory negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test that has to be taken within 96 hours of the travel date.

PassTrack app

Use this mobile app to speed up your arrival process in Pakistan and spend less time with immigration and public health officers. Submit your information easily and securely using the app within 48 hours before arriving in Pakistan. The app helps you to:

Provide mandatory information that’s required for entry into Pakistan
Reduce your wait time and points of contact at the airport
Provide the Government of Pakistan with voluntary updates and the development of any symptoms during the 14 days after arriving in Pakistan.

Download the PassTrack app (iOS, Android or web format). Make sure you have the official version by downloading it here.

List of Exempted countries from mandatory COVID-19 testing: UPDATED LIST

This above will be updated on a fortnightly basis by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation, and Coordination based on the disease burden of COVID-19.