363 Stranded Indians From Abu Dhabi And Dubai Evacuated By Vande Bharat Mission

Vande Bharat Mission has evacuated 363 Indians stranded in Dubai and Abu Dabhi due to the lockdown.

Kochi: Air India Express flight crew members in protective suits pose for photographs before departing to UAE to bring back stranded Indian nationals, during the ongoing COVID-19 nationwide lockdown, in Kochi, Thursday, May 7, 2020. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: The Indian repatriation process or the Vande Bharat Mission has brought two groups of evacuees who were stranded due to the lockdown back to India. Two flights landed in Kerala Yesterday bringing a total of 363 evacuees. According to reports while the first flight which landed in Kochi carried 181 people from Abu Dhabi, the second flight from Dubai landed in Kozhikode with 182 passengers. Vande Bharat Mission is the biggest ever repatriation exercise which was started from May 7. The mission will be carried out by Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express which will ferry passengers stuck due to the lockdown from different parts of the world.  Report by IANS says that these two airlines will operate 64 flights in seven days to bring back 14,800 stranded Indians from 12 countries including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Maldives, Singapore, and the US. Overall, more than 190,000 Indian nationals, who would have to pay a one-way ferry service charge, are expected to be brought back in the airlift operation. Also Check: Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates According to an IANS report among those who landed from the gulf, pregnant ladies, those above 75 years of age and children below the age of 10 will be sent to their homes where they will be quarantined for 14 days. Passengers having underlying health issues will be moved to the hospitals for further treatment. The remaining will be moved to the corona care centers in their respective districts while those showing COVID like symptoms would be taken to coronavirus dedicated hospitals here. Out of the 181 people, who were brought to Cochin International Airport last night from Abu Dhabi, one passenger had some physical ailment while 5 showed symptoms of  Covid-19 during thermal screening and they were taken to the isolation ward of District Hospital Aluva. All incoming baggage is disinfected, before handing them over to the people. In fact, the DRDO has installed its UV disinfection chamber which uses a solution that can kill the coronavirus at Cochin airport. An IANS reports says that yesterday a flight also left for Singapore carrying 14 passengers to the country. The return flight will head back to India today at 11.30 a.m. Reports say that the Air India has also invited passengers, who qualify under the government's new international travel norms to apply for passage from India to various destinations the airline will send its aircraft to conduct evacuation flights. Also Watch: