India to bring back stranded NRIs from May 7
By Amritha Mohan Published on 4 May 2020 3:51 PM GMT
Hyderabad: The Government of India has announced that it will facilitate the return of Indian nationals stranded abroad in a phased manner from May 7. The travel would be arranged through planes and ships and would be a paid service.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on April 4 said that the Indian embassies and High Commissions are preparing a list of Indian citizens stuck in various countries. Non-scheduled commercial flights would be arranged for air travel. The Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) has been prepared in this regard.
The government said that medical screening of passengers would be done before going on board and only asymptomatic passengers would be allowed to travel.
"On reaching the destination, everyone would have to register on the Aarogya Setu app and would be medically screened. After scrutiny, they would be quarantined for 14 days, either in a hospital or in an institution on payment, by the concerned state government," the statement said.
The passengers would be tested for COVID-19 after the quarantine period and the results will determine further action.
The state governments are being advised to make arrangements for testing, quarantine, and local travel for the Indians returning from abroad.
The statement further said that the Ministries of External Affairs and Civil Aviation would soon share information about the due process on their websites.
