THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan moved a resolution demanding the union government to urgently intervene in helping Indians stranded due to COVID-19 pandemic in various airports.
He expressed concern over the harsh norms taken by the centre that made the travel difficult. The Director General of Civil Aviation stipulated that the travellers must carry a medical certificate of having tested negative for COVID-19 from designated laboratories in these countries.
The certificates has been made mandatory irrespective of whether the travellers have the symptom or not. The Chief Minister wanted the Union government to repeat Wuhan-type evacuation of Indian stranded in various airports. The union government sent a special aircraft to COVID-19 affected Wuhan to evacuate Indian medical students.
They were later quarantined and allowed to go home later. He had earlier written letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to relax the restriction imposed on Indians returning from COVID-19 affected nations such as Italy and South Korea.
The communication was made after several Keralites stranded in Italy complained that the restriction had them stranded in airports. Though the assembly passed the resolution BJP is likely to counter it a political tactic by CPM to corner the NDA-led government.