Overseas Pakistanis allowed to bring back bodies of Covid-19 victims.

Byline: Mohammad Asghar

RAWALPINDI -- The government has granted permission to overseas Pakistanis to bring the bodies of Covid-19 victims home but after strictly following the guidelines issued by the health ministry and Civil Aviation Authority to avoid the spread of infections.

Aviation Division's spokesman Abdul Sattar Khokhar told Dawn that the government had allowed the overseas Pakistanis to bring the bodies of Covid-19 victims back home but after following the guidelines of the Ministry of National Health Services RegulAations and Coordination.

When asked how many Pakistani expatriates had contacted the embassies concerned for shifting of the body of their family member or friend to Pakistan so far, he said: 'Though no such body has been airlifted to Pakistan from abroad so far, two requests for shifting of Covid-19 deceased have been made from France and Barcelona.'

The body should be enclosed in a sealed coffin in compliance with the airlines's rules and regulations.

Under the guidelines, anyone coming in contact with the body must ensure the standard preventive measures, including hand washing and disinfection pre- and post-interaction with the body.

Minimum number of staff should...