ISLAMABAD: Pakistan announced on Wednesday it would implement a new policy from June 20 and resume 25 percent international flight operations to enhance its capacity to repatriate Pakistanis stranded around the world due to the coronavirus pandemic.
International and local flights were suspended in March, with exemptions for some flights to enable international repatriation in and out of Pakistan.
Domestic operations were resumed last month.
“Under this regime, Pakistan would be operating at 25% load of its regular schedules,” Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security and Strategic Policy, Dr. Moeed Yusuf, said in a statement on Wednesday.
He added that on the request of the four provinces and in light of the plight of Pakistanis stranded abroad, the new policy would allow increasing incoming passenger traffic to 40-45,000 per week, with heightened coronavirus screening upon arrival in Pakistan.
“Asymptomatic passengers will be sent home and tracked and traced by provinces to ensure self-isolation for 14 days,” Yusuf said, while symptomatic passengers would be tested and quarantined until their test results were received. Infected passengers would have the option of self-paid or government quarantine facilities as earlier.
“Positive cases will be handled as per health protocols, and negative cases will be sent home and tracked and traced by provinces accordingly,” Yusuf said.
Since the partial re-opening of airspace on April 3, more than 75,000 Pakistanis have been repatriated, with the capacity enhanced from 150 passengers per day on April 3 to 1,900 passengers per day as of Wednesday.
According to official figures, approximately 98,000 stranded Pakistanis have registered with embassies abroad to return to Pakistan. Over 100,000 students are also marooned abroad.
Despite a rising rate of infection, Pakistan has rolled back almost all lockdown measures, primarily to avert an economic meltdown. As of Thursday morning, the country had crossed 160,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and over 3,000 deaths.
