MALAPPURAM: Thrissur native Krishnadas Menon heaved a sigh of relief when his flight touched down at the Kochi airport from Abu Dhabi on Thursday. His priority was to bring back his ailing mother-in-law, who was in the UAE on a visiting visa, safely to the state.
Since his mother-in-law couldn’t travel alone, the family, including Krishnadas’ wife and two children, decided to accompany her. “Her visa was set to expire soon. Also, she had some age-related illness too, which was why it was my priority to bring her back home at the earliest,” he said.The family is grateful to be among the 181 evacuees brought to Kerala in the special flight from Abu Dhabi. “I’m thankful for the evacuation measures taken by both the state and Central governments,” he said.
Testing for Covid-19
All passengers underwent the rapid anti-body test for Covid-19 at the Abu Dhabi International Airport. “Our blood samples were taken by the medical team. We received the results in an hour. After we tested negative, we received a fit-to-travel sticker to be attached to our passport,” he said. Krishnadas Menon, a businessman, has been residing in the United Arab Emirates UAE for several years and hopes to return to Sharjah by the first week of July, if the flights resume operations then.