The Air India staff, who handled some people who were stranded in Dubai due to lockdown and had returned on May 13 through a special Air India flight under Vande Bharat Mission, are in a state of panic after 13 Dubai-returnees were tested positive for Covid-19.
The Air India staff is stressed over unavailability of personal protective equipment (PPE) kits. Total 178 Punjabis had returned by the special flight which had landed at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport in Amritsar.
Of these, four were tested positive in Kapurthala, three in Amritsar, and two each in Jalandhar, SBS Nagar and Hoshiarpur.
Around 65 employees of the Air India work at this airport in different shifts and 25 of them had received and handled the Dubai-returnees.
The employees who came in contact of the passengers, requesting anonymity, said that they were only given masks and gloves while handling these passengers, which poses threat to their lives.
“The masks which were provided to us are the normal kind, not N-95. We should have been provided with PPE kits. We are among the frontline warriors and should be treated the same,” an employee said.
Fearing infection as more evacuation flights are to arrive at the airport in the coming days, they said, “We come in direct contact with passengers who are being evacuated from different countries and don’t know who among them are Covid-19 patient as their tests are conducted later. We are at high risk. PPE kits are provided only to the staff working inside the aircraft.”
{{/usCountry}}Fearing infection as more evacuation flights are to arrive at the airport in the coming days, they said, “We come in direct contact with passengers who are being evacuated from different countries and don’t know who among them are Covid-19 patient as their tests are conducted later. We are at high risk. PPE kits are provided only to the staff working inside the aircraft.”
{{/usCountry}}Similar evacuation flights are coming to Amritsar from Kuala Lumpur on May 21, Vancouver on May 22, Melbourne on May 22, Toronto on May 23, Sydney on May 23, Birmingham on May 26, and Singapore on May 27.
Another employee said, “If immigration and custom staff can get safety kits, why can’t we?” There are reports of Air India staff getting infected by Covid-19 in Mumbai and other parts of the country. This has enhanced panic among other staff. “This is the matter of the Air India,” said Manoj Chansoria, airport director.
Meanwhile, Air India station manager RK Negi said, “We are here to address all issues our colleagues face. And under the company policies, we take care of the staff and provide them masks, gloves and hand sanitizers.”