VIJAYAWADA: Though the State government has fully geared up to receive the first batch of stranded Telugus returning from foreign countries on Monday, those from Andhra Pradesh have to wait for 15 more days to reach the State.
The flight carrying stranded Telugus will land in Hyderabad and the Telangana government has decided to quarantine them there itself instead of sending them immediately to Andhra Pradesh.
A release by the Chief Minister’s Office on Sunday said the first batch of stranded people, including those from the US, would come to the State on Monday.
After the launch of Vande Bharat Mission to bring home thousands of Indians stranded abroad due to Covid-19, the State has been prepared to receive the first flight from San Francisco on Monday.
A medical team has been deployed at Vijayawada airport to test the foreign returnees and arrangements have also been made to send them to quarantine centres.
However, the wait of those expecting to arrive in AP, has been extended by another 15 days as per the revised schedule.
Speaking to TNIE, Covid-19 Special Task Force Chairman MT Krishna Babu said, “All the arrangements have been made from our side.
When our airport authorities informed that they need clearance from their Telangana counterparts, we contacted them. The Telangana government informed us that as per its policy, whoever comes to that State will be quarantined for 14 days in Hyderabad itself. So, we cannot bring them back to the State tomorrow (Monday).” The flight will land first in Mumbai from San Francisco.
From there, the passengers will be brought to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad. The flight with 19 passengers on board will land in Hyderabad at 10 am. Of the total 19, 16 are from Andhra Pradesh.
Meanwhile, the schedule of first direct flight from abroad to AP has not yet been decided. At a review meeting on Sunday, officials informed Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy that people coming back to the State will be sent to dedicated quarantine centres soon after their landing at the airport.
The meeting discussed post lockdown measures and protocols to be followed to protect people in the State from coronavirus.
The officials explained the arrangements made for receiving expatriates coming to the State from various countries starting Monday.
The flights carrying stranded passengers from abroad will land in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati airports.
Briefing the Chief Minister about the movement of migrant workers from other States to AP and vice-versa, they said arrangements for free quarantine in government centres have been made. The officials said 11 checkpoints have been set up at the State borders and all people entering AP will be tracked. The Chief Minister directed the officials to give the details of those arriving to village/ward volunteers and village/ward secretariat members so that they can closely monitor their movement.