For the next one week, until 13 May, India will operate 64 flights and three Navy ships to bring home nearly 15,000 Indians stranded overseas, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The first of such flights, carrying 209 passengers from Abu Dhabi landed in Cochin on 7 May. While Kerala is set to receive 14 other flights, 11 each will land in Delhi and Chennai.
So, how are these states prepared to handle the incoming Indians. What should they do before they can leave the airport and what are their quarantine guidelines.
Here's all you need to know.
Who are the 15,000 Indians being brought back first?
The Ministry of Home Affairs has said that laid-off migrant workers, short-term visa-holders with expiry of visa, persons with medical emergency, pregnant women, elderly, stranded students and those who require to return to India due to the death of a family member will be the first ones who are brought back to India.
Would people who have tested positive for coronavirus also be allowed to travel?
All passengers will be subjected to medical screening before the flight.
Only those free of coronavirus symptoms will be allowed to travel, the ministry said.
What are the broad protocols for the passengers to follow?
- On reaching the destination, all passengers should download Aarogya Setu
- They will be screened medically after they land
- All Indians who return from abroad will be quarantined for 14 days
Can passengers opt for home quarantine?
No, all passengers returning from abroad should opt for either hospital or institutional quarantine on payment basis. They can also opt to quarantine in a hotel or a lodge, again on payment basis.
The passports of all these passengers will be returned after the two-week period.
Will they be tested for COVID-19?
All passengers will undergo COVID-19 test after 14 days and further action will be taken according to Health Ministry's protocol.
However, they can also be tested earlir if they start showing symptoms of novel coronavirus.
Is the strategy in Kerala different?
- In Kerala, all passengers whether they are symptomatic or not will undergo mandatory quarantine of seven days in a government-sponsored facility.
- On the seventh day, they will be made to undergo RT-PCR test and only those who test negative will be sent for home quarantine.
- These people will continue being in home quarantine for another one week.
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