Only Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi airports remain open to international flights Schools closed and public gatherings banned but government stops short of declaring national emergency ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government on Friday closed the country’s borders with Afghanistan and Iran to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The two-week shutdown was announced after a meeting of the National Security Committee in Islamabad. “By closing the borders, we are making sure that no infected person enters Pakistan,” said Dr. Zafar Mirza, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s adviser on public health matters. He added that only three of the nation’s airports — in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi — will remain open to international flights. “There is nothing more important than the safety of people…all these measures are part of a strategy to prevent the spread of the virus,” Mirza added. While the government opted not to declare a national emergency, all educational institutions were ordered to close and mass gatherings, including religious events, weddings and conferences, have been banned with immediate effect. “The government hasn’t imposed any national emergency….it’s a major thing and we aren’t invoking it at this stage,” Moeed Yusuf, special assistant to the prime minister on national security, said after the NSC meeting. In other precautionary measures, courts have been asked to adjourn all proceedings in civil cases for three weeks, and the Pakistan Day military parade on Mar. 23 has been canceled. Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Food Security is preparing a contingency plan to avoid food shortages as a result of disruption caused by the pandemic. This is the first time in Pakistan’s history that the NSC has met to discuss a response to a contagious disease. The prime minister presided over the meeting, which was attended by key ministers and all military service chiefs. Pakistan has reported 28 confirmed cases of the coronavirus since Feb. 26. Two people are known to have recovered. The virus has spread to more than 135 countries and caused the deaths of more than 5,000 people, most of them in mainland China.