NCOC allows Pakistanis in Cat C countries to return by 31st

They are required to submit proof of vaccination and take PCR test 48 hours prior to boarding

ISLAMABAD:

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Tuesday announced that all Pakistanis stranded in Category C countries -- including valid National Identity Card of Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) and Pakistan Origin Card (POC) holders – would be allowed to return to the country without exemption till December 31.

According to the NCOC, which serves as the nerve centre of the government’s anti-Covid strategy, passengers travelling from Category C countries would be required to submit a proof of vaccination and take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test 48 hours prior to boarding.

They will be placed under mandatory quarantine upon arrival if they are travelling from countries that have been hit by the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the centre said in a statement. It further announced that as the vaccination of those between the ages of 15 and 18 had not begun in some countries, the requirement for the submission of full vaccination of in-bound passengers between these ages had been extended till January 31, 2022, instead of December 1 this year.

Last week, the NCOC had announced further travel restrictions in the wake of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, adding eight more countries, mostly European, in Category C that banned in-bound passengers.

Read Pakistan confirms first Omicron case

With the latest expansion, the number of countries on Category C increased from seven to 15. The list comprises the Netherlands, Hungary, Ireland, Croatia, Ukraine, Slovenia, Vietnam, Poland, South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

On Monday, the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) had confirmed the presence of the Omicron variant in an unvaccinated Covid-19 patient in Karachi. In a statement, the hospital said the patient was isolated at home and doing well. The statement added that so far only one case of the variant had been detected in the country.

The Omicron case was also confirmed by the National Institute of Health in the federal capital.
It said this was the "first confirmed case but continued surveillance of identified samples is in place to identify trends".

The WHO has been in constant touch with the Pakistan government following the reports of suspected cases of the Omicron variant. Other international and aviation authorities are also keeping an eye on the country.

Separately, a meeting of the federal and provincial education ministers discussed the proposal for rescheduling the winter vacations in educational institutions from December to January.
Apart from Sindh, all provincial and federal education ministries have agreed to hold winter vacations in educational institutions from December 25 to January 5.

However, the final decision will be made at a meeting of the NCOC on Wednesday (today).
The meeting, chaired by Education Ministry’s Parliamentary Secretary Wajeeha Akram, reviewed reforms in the provincial education system and also considered a proposal to shift the winter break to January.

The Sindh government had already announced winter holidays in educational institutions from December 20 to January 1. Academic activities will resume on January 3 in the province.