Coronavirus Outbreak: Centre releases plan to bring back Indians stranded in 12 countries; 64 flights to be operated from 7 May to 13 May

The Centre announced a day-wise evacuation plan to bring back around 14,800 Indians stranded due to the coronavirus lockdown in countries such as Oman, Bahrain, Malaysia, Singapore, UK and USA in 64 flights from 7 to 13 May. Fourty of these special flights will be operated by Air India while its subsidiary Air India Express will operate 24 flights to repatriate Indians from 12 countries — the UAE, the UK, the US, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman, officials told PTI.

Here are the evacuation plans for Days 5,6 and 7 by @airindiain and #airindia Express pic.twitter.com/67fOypp1h7

— PIB India (@PIB_India) May 5, 2020

India has been under lockdown since 25 March to curb the spread of the coronavirus and it will continue till 17 May. All commercial passenger flights have been suspended for this period. [caption id=“attachment_8334001” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The Central government is likely to operate 64 flights bring home around 14,800 Indian nationals stranded abroad. ANI[/caption] Therefore, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced on Monday it will facilitate the return of asymptomatic Indian nationals stranded abroad from 7 May onwards, in a phased manner, through aircraft and naval ships on a payment basis. According to details released by the Press Information Bureau,  India will conduct 10 flights to the UAE, seven flights each to the US and the UK, five to Saudi Arabia, five to Singapore, and two flights to Qatar between 7 and 13 May. Seven flights will also be operated to Malaysia and Bangladesh, five each to Kuwait and Philippines, two each to Oman and Bahrain. Out of the 64 repatriation flights, 15 will be to Kerala, 11 each would be to Delhi and Tamil Nadu, seven each would be to Maharashtra and Telangana, and remaining flights would be to five other states and Union Territories, including Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. Ten flights carrying 2,300 passengers will be operated on the first day, while 2,050 passengers will return on nine flights on days two and three and 1,850 persons are scheduled to return on day four. On day five, 2,200 passengers will arrive on nine flights, 2,500 on eleven flights the next day and 1,850 on eight flights on day seven.

“Approximately 14,800 Indian nationals are likely to return to the country through these 64 flights during the seven-day period. The government will run more repatriation flights after 13 May,” one of the officials told PTI. On Tuesday, Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint secretary in the home ministry also said that that the passengers who land in the country on board the special flights will have to follow all the government-issued health guidelines, and they will be screened and kept at paid quarantine facilities for 14 days. They will also have to download the Aarogya Setu mobile app, said the home ministry. The coronavirus has infected more than 46,700 people and killed around 1,580 people in India till now. With inputs from PTI