Operation Samudra Setu: INS Jalashwa arrives in Kochi with 698 repatriated Indians from Maldives
KOCHI: The Indian navy ship carrying 698 passengers, including 400 Keralites, from the Maldives arrived at the Kochi port on Sunday morning.
The evacuation was a part of the Centre's ‘Operation Samudra Setu’ to evacuate Indian nationals stranded in the island nation. INS Jalashwa, which set sail from Male port on Friday night, arrived in Kochi at around 9:30 am.
The group comprises 595 males and 103 females. Of this, 14 are children below 10 years and 19 pregnant women. “Though a majority of the passengers are from Kerala and Tamil Nadu there are repatriates of 18 other states/UTs also in the ship,” an official statement by Kochi port said here.
Officials said the passengers disembarked at the cruise terminal of Cochin Port Trust and will have to undergo quarantine in Kochi itself, before proceeding to their respective homes. The institutional quarantine is for 14 days, and the district administration has made all the arrangements here in Kochi, they said.
Passengers showing COVID symptoms are being disembarked first followed by others in small groups, district-wise. “Thermal screening of passengers on arrival is being carried out by the port health organisation," it said.
Ernakulam district collector S Suhas told reporters that no COVID symptoms have been identified in the passengers so far.
Customs and Immigration procedures are carried out inside the Terminal, where the arrangement has also been made for the distribution of SIM cards by BSNL and installation of ArogyaSetu in mobile phones of passengers. Disinfection facility for baggage and free wi-fi have been made available by the Port at the Termina,” the port said.
Arrangements for onward travel to hospitals/institutional quarantine centres/home quarantine are ensured by state government by deploying ambulances, state transport buses, and taxis. These arrangements are coordinated by the District Administration, Police
Amidst the global pandemic of COVID-19, Indian Naval ships are deployed to support the ongoing national effort to repatriate Indian nationals across the seas. While INS Jalashwa arrived at the mainland, INS Magar is on her way to enter Male to continue the repatriation effort of the Indian government, an official statement said.
Passengers from other parts of the country belonged to Tamil Nadu (187), Telangana (9), Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (8 each), Lakshadweep (4), and Haryana, Maharashtra and Rajasthan