AMRITSAR: India is yet to open its side of the Kartapur corridor, but the Pakistan government has already announced that only fully vaccinated pilgrims would be allowed to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib, via the link on the occasion of the death anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
Sources said Pakistan’s National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) held a meeting on Saturday and decided that only individuals having valid vaccination certificate would be allowed to enter Pakistan through the corridor or the Attari-Wagah international border.
Other conditions include having a negative RT-PCR report less than 72 hours old. The pilgrims will also have to undergo a rapid test on arrival in Pakistan and will be sent back if they test positive.
On March 16, 2020, both India and Pakistan had temporarily suspended the day long pilgrimage in wake of Covid 19. On October 2, 2020, Pakistan announced to unilaterally open the pilgrimage, but India is yet to reciprocate. Sources said it had also been decided that as per non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), an outdoor gathering of a maximum of 300 individuals was allowed in Pakistan with adherence to stringent Covid19 protocols including mask wearing and social distancing. Evacuee Trust Property Board and Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee are to ensure the presence of only 300 at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur.
