The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) announced on Tuesday that any Pakistanis trapped in Category C nations are free to return to Pakistan till December 31.
A list of countries from which travel is prohibited, save under particular circumstances, is known as Category C. Croatia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Ireland, Slovenia, Vietnam, Poland, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Botswana, and Namibia are now on the list.
Individuals having a valid National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis or Pakistan Origin Card will also be allowed to return, according to the NCOC, the country’s nerve hub for Covid-19 reaction.
Pakistanis including valid NICOP / POC holders can travel without exemption
— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) December 14, 2021
from Category C countries till 31 Dec 21. However,
proof of vaccination, PCR test pre-boarding (max 48 hours old) and mandatory
quarantine (Omicron countries) will remain applicable.
Prior to boarding, proof of immunization and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test report — no more than 48 hours old — would be required. Travelers from nations infected with the Omicron strain of the coronavirus will be subject to mandatory quarantine.
The statement also stated that, because vaccines for aged 15 to 18 had not yet begun in several countries, the deadline for full vaccination for that age group had been pushed back from December 1 to January 31.
While reviewing the global Covid-19 situation in the wake of Omicron’s outbreak, the NCOC put nine more countries in Category C last week. It had given Pakistanis stranded in the country until December 15 to return.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has marked Omicron as a “very transmissible” variant, the same category as the dominant Delta variant.
Pakistan reported its first case of the new strain on Monday.
