Prime Minister's Special Assistant on National Security Dr Moeed Yusuf said that overseas Pakistanis and travelers returning to the country need to keep themselves self-quarantined even if their tests come out negative.
Dawn reported that in a press conference held in Islamabad, he said that every passenger coming to Pakistan would be required to stay at a quarantine facility for two days. He clarified that tests were conducted after 48 hours have passed.
"After the test result comes back, we will decide whether the person will remain under quarantine, be taken to a hospital or sent home with self-isolation guidelines," he said, adding that it can take up to four days for the test results to get back.
He said that no matter how urgent one feels to get back home, they will have to cooperate with the government since most of the recent cases are asymptomatic and the procedures had been made after advice from health experts and administrative authorities.
In some cases, he noted, a traveller's test will come back negative, but many other people test positive on their flight; in such a situation it depends on provincial authorities if they want to keep such persons (who test negative) quarantined for an extra period.
Yusuf said that the government's focus for the next week would remain on repatriating Pakistani nationals from Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia as a lot of labourers were stranded there after losing their jobs because of the pandemic.
He added that the government has granted permission to some airlines to operate commercial flights from Pakistan especially to countries where PIA does not have access, such as the United States, Australia and Africa.
He urged Pakistanis stranded abroad to register with the embassies in their country of residence, saying the embassies were deciding who to prioritise for repatriation.
Dawn reported that in a press conference held in Islamabad, he said that every passenger coming to Pakistan would be required to stay at a quarantine facility for two days. He clarified that tests were conducted after 48 hours have passed.
"After the test result comes back, we will decide whether the person will remain under quarantine, be taken to a hospital or sent home with self-isolation guidelines," he said, adding that it can take up to four days for the test results to get back.
He said that no matter how urgent one feels to get back home, they will have to cooperate with the government since most of the recent cases are asymptomatic and the procedures had been made after advice from health experts and administrative authorities.
In some cases, he noted, a traveller's test will come back negative, but many other people test positive on their flight; in such a situation it depends on provincial authorities if they want to keep such persons (who test negative) quarantined for an extra period.
Yusuf said that the government's focus for the next week would remain on repatriating Pakistani nationals from Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia as a lot of labourers were stranded there after losing their jobs because of the pandemic.
He added that the government has granted permission to some airlines to operate commercial flights from Pakistan especially to countries where PIA does not have access, such as the United States, Australia and Africa.
He urged Pakistanis stranded abroad to register with the embassies in their country of residence, saying the embassies were deciding who to prioritise for repatriation.