First Evacuees From Pakistan To Return On Thursday

The government said on Wednesday that the first batch of around 300 Hong Kong residents stranded in Pakistan would be brought home by a chartered flight on Thursday.

The flight is expected to leave Islamabad on Thursday morning.

The Immigration Department says at least 1,600 Hong Kong residents are stranded in Pakistan, since the government there banned all international flights in late March amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The returnees will have to pay HK$6,000 each for the flight.

They will be tested for Covid-19 at the Asia-World Expo near the airport and taken to a quarantine centre at Fo Tan where they are required to stay for 14 days.

A security bureau spokesman said due to the large number of people requesting assistance and the limited testing and quarantine capability, the government has adopted a "phased approach".

The first batch of returnees are people staying in Islamabad and its surrounding areas, as well as sick people and and pregnant women.

The spokesman also noted that there will be a flight arriving from Doha on Wednesday afternoon carrying about 170 Hong Kong residents coming back from Pakistan on their own.

He said they will be subject to the same quarantine arrangement upon arrival.

The spokesman said the government is liaising with relevant authorities and several airlines to explore ways to bring home some 3,000 Hong Kong residents stranded in India.