Coronavirus: Bodies of deceased Pakistanis to be brought back to the country
The CAA has notified all private, chartered airlines and ground handling companies in this regard
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The government has decided to allow overseas Pakistanis to being back the bodies of those who died abroad of coronavirus.
According to sources, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued a formal notification on the direction of the federal government. Implementation of CAA SOPs has been made mandatory for the transfer of the deceased.
The CAA has notified all private, chartered airlines and ground handling companies in this regard and sealed coffins for air transport, safety measures including disinfection of the deployed staff have been declared mandatory.
Bodies can be brought back in passenger or cargo planes and the airline will have to inform the CAA 48 hours before its arrival in Pakistan.
Relevant staff will also be required to wear protective suits, masks, gloves, spectacles and face shields. Also, areas where the dead body will be placed in planes or airports will have to be sprayed with disinfectant.
It will also be mandatory to wrap the corpse in two cloths soaked in certain chemicals before transportation, while the use of a double-layer disinfection container in the plane has also been mandated.
The relevant mortuary and death certificate issued by the country will also be required for the transfer of the deceased and it will be necessary to provide all documentary record either manually or by email.
After transportation, disinfection of the aircraft and crew will also be necessary. The deceased will be handed over to the competent authorities along with relevant records and documents after verification of documents as well as identity of the deceased.
