India is planning to operate 64 flights to bring over 14,800 Indians who have been stranded in various parts of the world due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the flight plan of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), 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 to repatriate over 14,800 stranded Indians.
The operations will start in a phased manner from May 7.
“Medical screening of passengers would be done before taking the flight. Only asymptomatic passengers would be allowed to travel. During the journey, all these passengers would have to follow the protocols, such as the Health Protocols, issued by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Civil Aviation,” an official statement reads.
“On reaching the destination, everyone would have to register on the Aarogya Setu app. Everyone would be medically screened. After scrutiny, they would be quarantined for 14 days, either in a hospital or in an institutional quarantine on payment-basis, by the concerned State government. COVID test would be done after 14 days and further action would be taken according to health protocols,” it added.
Meanwhile , India has also sent three ships-INS Jalashwa, INS Magar and INS Shardul- to bring back stranded Indians from UAE and the Maldives.