ISLAMABAD: Pakistan nationals residing in countries included in Category C of Omicron-hit nations are allowed to return before December 31, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) announced Tuesday, easing tough restrictions it had reimposed after the surfacing of the latest coronavirus variant.
The federal body overseeing the response to coronavirus said travellers in possession of a valid National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) or Pakistan Origin Card (POC) may choose to return by adopting adequate health protocols.
The Omicron variant has been detected in several more countries, prompting nervous governments to impose tough travel restrictions to try to keep it at bay while scientists race to establish how dangerous it might be.
Last week, Pakistan extended the travel ban on nine more countries, adding them to the list of Category C countries in order to try to contain the spread of the variant.
The new entrants to the list included Croatia, Hungary, Netherlands, Ukraine, Ireland, Slovenia, Vietnam, Poland and Zimbabwe. Previous nations on the list were South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and Hong Kong.
The health protocols require all passengers to be completely vaccinated with a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) report received a maximum of 48 hours prior to the departure.
The passengers coming from countries hit by Omicron must undergo quarantine as a precautionary measure.
For countries in Category B — Germany, Trinidad and Tobago, Azerbaijan, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Russia, the USA, the UK, Thailand, France, Austria, Afghanistan and Turkey — all inbound passengers are required to be fully vaccinated.
The NCOC last week said health authorities will also conduct random RAT testing of passengers coming from Category B countries.
“RAT negative cases will be allowed to proceed. RAT positive cases will be quarantined for 10 days.”
Visitors from countries in the Category A list are required to be fully vaccinated with the same PCR requirements as their counterparts in the B and C categories.
In addition, transit flights arriving from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar will be subjected to screening to stop the potential transmission of the Omicron variant.
