Dr. Yubaraj Khatiwada, spokesperson of the government and Finance, Information and Technology Minister said that the government has decided to allow the operation of flights for the evacuation of stranded Nepalis from September 1.

Dr. Khatiwada said the meeting of the Council of Ministers has decided to allow the operation of repatriation flights. He said that there include several safety conditions.

According to the decision, only 500 passengers will be evacuated on a daily basis. The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation will publish schedule accordingly.

He said that Nepali citizens and diplomats stranded abroad amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will be evacuated. However, a negative PCR report taken within 72 hours before boarding the flight will have to be submitted.

After the arrival of the passengers, they will be subjected to be quarantined at a selected Hotel facility for a period of seven days, the expenses of which will have to be borne by the passengers themselves.

It has also been learned that those who submit and do not submit the PCR reports will not be mixed up on the same flight during the procedure. If such a case occurs, all of the passengers aboard the particular flights will have to remain in quarantine. Moreover, the airline will be responsible for the expenses of the isolation period in such cases.

He said that the flight will not be allowed in those countries where PCR testing is unavailable. For those places, only the operation of chartered flights will be allowed.