KOCHI: Confusion and uncertainty continue to dog the Kerala government’s move to make Covid-19 negative certificates mandatory for those returning to the state from abroad. The date of implementation was postponed from Saturday to June 25, but officials of airline companies and expatriate organisations have described the move as “impractical” and “made without realising the ground situation in the Gulf countries”.
“We’re guided by the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s protocol on the evacuation of expatriates. We can’t have one separate rule for the passengers boarding the flights to Kerala and another for those bound for other states,” said an Air India Express spokesperson. “It’ll be even more difficult to implement a separate set of rules in an airport in a foreign country.”
The state government on Wednesday told the High Court that it decided to insist on the pre-flight test after 1.22 out of every 100 persons who returned from foreign countries had tested positive. As many as 66,703 expatriates have returned to the state till Friday. On Friday, the Supreme Court refused to intervene in a petition questioning the state government’s order demanding Covid negative certificates from travelling NRIs.
Thomas Varghese, who runs an interior designing firm in the UAE, said people are returning to Kerala not out of fear of coronavirus, but due to economic slowdown and job loss. “If the government is insisting on a negative certificate, it’s not only foolish but also impractical. First of all, here the testing will be done only for symptomatic persons at a government facility. For others, it takes about 400-500 dirhams. It’s not easy,” he said.
‘There is confusion in the West Asian countries’
It takes two-three days to even get an appointment in a clinic for Covid testing and another two-three days to get the results. “Hundreds of people here are desperate to reach their homes in Kerala after losing their jobs and with no money to pay the rent. The Kerala Government is acting cruel by insisting on Covid-nagative certificates,” he said.
Officials said there is also confusion in the West Asian countries, where the implementation of rules may vary. For instance, in Qatar, the passengers will be allowed to board only if they are Covid negative.The mobile app Ehteraz, which is mandatory for citizens and residents there, will indicate if the passenger is infected or not (red for positive and green for negative). Only those with a green signal will be allowed to travel, said K V Martin, who returned from Qatar recently and is quarantining at his home in Nedumbassery. In countries like Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait, only thermal screening is done and expatriates returning from these countries will find it tough if the new rule is implemented.
Shabeer Kizhur, chief coordinator, KMCC Help Desk in Dubai, said he was told that there would not be any problem for those returning to Kerala from the UAE as the rapid test is done on all passengers before boarding the flights from the Dubai airport.“I think there are no issues with those returning from the Dubai airport,” he said.
Chansen Alexander, who returned from the UAE last Sunday via a FlyDubai chartered flight, said rapid tests are done at the airport and the results are available within 10-20 minutes. “By insisting on a Covid-negative certificate, the Kerala government has complicated matters. What if the passenger contracts the virus after the tests?” he asked.The Air India Express spokesman said the national carrier is yet to get any intimation from the Central government or the Ministry of Civil Aviation on different sets of rules for passengers to Kerala.
Give PPE kits to travelling expatriates, say experts
Alappuzha: Experts and passengers say giving the travellers PPE kits is safer than demanding Covid-negative certificate to prevent infection. On June 14, Air Arabia transported 162 passengers on a chartered flight from Sharjah and all of them wore PPE kits.
Second cop tests positive
Kochi: A day after an officer with the Kalamasseary police station was hospitalised for Covid-19 treatment, another civil police officer with the station tested positive.