The government has decided to reduce the testing period for inbound flight passengers from 48 hours to the earliest as possible so that more stranded Pakistanis could return the country.

Following the prime minister’s directive to bring stranded citizens back home, the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) has reduced the testing period from 48 hours to less.

Passengers from the airport will be shifted to quarantine centres and will stay there until the test results arrive, after which they can be possibly asked to self-isolate at home.

This time reducing strategy will help raise weekly estimate to raise inbound passengers from 7,000-8,000 to 11,000-12,000.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Dr. Moeed Yusuf, said the authorities were working day and night to resolve problems of stranded Pakistanis.

Inbound passengers will be allowed a preference between two modes of quarantine, free of cost government quarantine centers or paid government regulated hotels/facilities.

Moeed Yusuf said that up till now at least 20,000 Pakistanis have been brought back home from around the world.” 20,000 people have been repatriated, and about 120,000 people still want to return,” Yusuf said.

Regarding the returnees that test positive for the virus, Yusuf said: “Those who test positive and provincial governments feel that they can be isolated at home, will be allowed to go.

“Those who cannot be isolated at home, will be provided government quarantine facilities,” he said.