Kerala seeks Dubai-bound flights for stranded people

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has sought PM’s help to organise flights to Dubai so that Keralites working in the UAE but stranded here due to the lockdown can go back and resume work.

This follows a decision by the UAE to allow expats with residence visa to return due to a perceptible improvement in the Covid situation in the Gulf country. But India has not resumed international flights, though domestic ones have begun operations.

At one stage, the virus outbreak in Dubai and Abu Dhabi had appeared to spiral out of control, but the situation has greatly improved of late as both emirates have come out of most Covid restrictions, except personal protection protocols.

The CM pointed out to PM many Keralites are waiting to get back to work in Dubai and other Gulf regions. “Considering this, a direction may be issued to the Civil Aviation Ministry to resume the flight services to Dubai,” Vijayan said.

Vijayan’s new request comes even as the Centre has declined to grant his appeal to the Centre not to let anyone board any evacuation flight without a Covid-negative certificate due to the risk of some passengers carrying the virus, burdening the state’s Covid defence.

When the Kerala expats and the state opposition opposed the move saying many Gulf countries do not have the testing facility for the purpose of certification, Pinaryai had suggested his government was ready to supply kits for TrueNat test.

The Centre has turned down the request on the ground the test is not approved by Gulf countries and serious logistics issues.

Embassies have notified Kerala’s requirement of Covid-negative certificate with effect from June 25, but with no effective mechanism in place to hold tests and issue such certificates, passengers waiting to be evacuated are facing uncertainty.