The National Command and Control Center (NCOC) has decided to allow Pakistani citizens stranded in countries presently in category C to return to the homeland without requiring any prior special permission.
According to the official statement, NCOC said that Pakistanis holding the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) and Pakistan Origin Card (POC) can return to the country before 31 December 2021.
However, Pakistanis coming from category-C countries will still be required to submit the proof of COVID-19 vaccination and a negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test report obtained 48 hours before the flight.
Upon arrival, they must undergo a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) and a 10-day mandatory quarantine in case of a positive diagnosis.
Those coming from countries with confirmed cases of Coronavirus strains other than the Omicron variant will be allowed to proceed after a negative RAT while those coming from countries with confirmed cases of Omicron variant must undergo a 3-day quarantine regardless of a negative RAT.
Following the outbreak of Coronavirus in the country, the NCOC had devised three categories; A, B, and C for countries. It categorizes all countries every month on the basis of their respective COVID-19 situation.
The arrival of passengers from category C countries to Pakistan is banned and they are only allowed to enter the country after receiving special permission and from the NCOC.
Earlier this month, NCOC revised all three categories. 15 countries including Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Ukraine, Vietnam, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa were moved to category C.
