Punjab facilitates return of 825 foreign nationals

Protocol is that only those who are asymptomatic for covid-19 are being allowed to leave the state

The Punjab government has facilitated return of 825 foreign nationals, including NRIs, to their home countries between March 31 and April 9, director general of police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said on Saturday.

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He added this was in line with the Centre’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on making transit arrangements for foreign nationals stranded in the country. The protocol is that only those who are asymptomatic for covid-19 are being allowed to leave the state.

Those helped return include 28 from Finland; 86 from Denmark; 43 from Sweden; 50 from Norway; 14 from Latvia; six from Japan and two citizens each from Russia, Slovenia, Czech Republic and Belarus and one from Uzbekistan. In addition, 170 citizens of Canada and 273 of the US were also facilitated. Next in line are British nationals for whom their government was arranging repatriation flights from Amritsar and Chandigarh.