Pakistan's 50-man touring contingent will have slightly relaxed COVID-19 restrictions to deal with while undergoing necessary pre-series quarantine on their tour of New Zealand, stated a report by Express Newspaper. 

While 35 players and 15 support staff personnel that will head for the Kiwi series on Monday (November 23) haven't been allowed to take their families with them, the report mentioned they won't have to endure the level of restrictions imposed for the England tour. 

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And so, the tourists will quarantine for 14 days but after an initial three-day period of total isolation and a negative COVID-19 test on the fourth, they'll be divided into groups of 15. The report further says, each member of a particular group will be isolated separately and will not be allowed to interact with individuals of other groups till the end of the 14th day since arrival. 

Once this process is over, another round of tests will be conducted after which the players and officials will be allowed to focus their energies towards the on-field action. 

In England, the Pakistanis had to not only quarantine for longer but also were tested more frequently. 

Recently, West Indies players breached the protocols designed for their own trip to New Zealand, which precedes the Pakistan series, and were then forced to isolate for longer in their hotel rooms. The careless act also received criticism from the widespread public concerned over the safety of individuals within the pandemic. 

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) hasn't yet officially confirmed the results for the tests conducted on New Zealand-bound players and support staff on Saturday (November 21) in Lahore. But the board has made it clear that anyone testing positive won't be travelling for the tour comprising 3 T20Is and 2 Tests, starting December 18. 

At least 10 Pakistani players had given positive tests before the tour of England, but the PCB had then waited for them to recover and send them upon retesting negative. 

(Inputs from PTI)