More than 200 Pakistani citizens were flown back to their home country from Dubai on Saturday.
The repatriation flight left from Dubai, carrying 227 people who wished to return home amid the coronavirus outbreak.
More than 40,000 Pakistanis in the UAE have registered with the consulate to be flown home. They will return to their country phases as the Pakistan government attempts to increase quarantine facilities at airports and hospitals.
The Pakistan International Airlines flight left Dubai at 7pm on Saturday en route to Islamabad. More flights will be arranged “in the coming days,” the Consulate General in Dubai said.
The passengers included five children, people who had travelled to the UAE on a visit visa, workers on unpaid leave or who had lost their jobs, emergency cases, patients, students and three bodies. Local authorities previously announced that all visas would be automatically renewed until the end of the year for free and without accruing fines.
Consul-general Ahmed Ali went to the airport to ensure operations for the first special flight ran smoothly.
The consulate said more flights would be arranged soon to different cities in Pakistan.
The lack of quarantine facilities in the country’s airports and hospitals has delayed the repatriation of the country’s citizens stranded abroad.
“Please understand that the flights have limited capacities and when you reach Pakistan there is limited quarantine and testing facilities,” said Mr Ali.
“Within this limited capacity, we will send everyone back in phases. We request you to be patient. Everyone’s turn will come.”
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Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
