Islamabad: A group of 75 staff members of the US embassy in Islamabad have returned to the US aboard a special flight amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement  a spokesperson for the US embassy said that the Department of State on March 14 had authorised the voluntary departure from any diplomatic or consular post of US government personnel and family members who have determined they are at a higher risk of a poor outcome if exposed to the novel coronavirus or who have requested departure based on a commensurate justification, reports Dawn news.