64 flights to pick up stranded Indians in 12 countries amid coronavirus pandemic

New Delhi : India will be sending more than 60 flights to 12 countries to pick up stranded Indians in foreign lands amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the flight plan by the ministry of external affairs (MEA), 64 flights will be sent to a dozen countries to repatriate students and blue-collar workers among others from abroad.

“So India finally begins to fly back its Citizens home – approximately 2000 persons a day. A sneak peek into the 7-day plan. Punjab has only one incoming flight from Dubai, UAE on the 7,” KBS Sidhu, Punjab special chief secretary, tweeted on Tuesday.

According to a news report, the residents of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh are among those to be evacuated.

The 64 flights will be sent to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Malaysia, the UK, Singapore, Bangladesh, the Philippines and the US from May 7.

There will be 15 flights—the maximum—for the residents of Kerala, 11 each from Delhi-NCR and Tamil Nadu, seven for Maharashtra and Telangana, five for Gujarat, three each for Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka and one each for Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

In a mandatory rule, these people will be asked to sign up on Aarogya Setu application after their arrival to their destinations in India.

“After scrutiny, they will be quarantined for 14 days, either in a hospital or in an institutional quarantine on payment-basis, by the concerned state government,” the statement said.

Test to detect Covid-19 will be done on the travellers after 14 days and “further action would be taken according to health protocols”, it said.