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Govt has no current plans to bring back Indians stranded around world
The people, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a total of 3,336 Indians had tested positive for Covid-19 in 53 countries, while 25 Indians had died of the disease. No further details were immediately available.
The Indian government currently has no plans to repatriate thousands of citizens stranded around the world because of Covid-19-related restrictions, and people familiar with developments reiterated the administration’s advice that they should “stay put” where they are.
The people, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a total of 3,336 Indians had tested positive for Covid-19 in 53 countries, while 25 Indians had died of the disease. No further details were immediately available.
There are no official figures for Indian citizens stranded in different countries but several estimates have put the number in the thousands. There have been reports of scores of Indians stranded in airports in countries such as Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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Even before the government imposed a lockdown in March, the external affairs ministry had advised Indians around the world, including thousands of students, to stay put till travel restrictions are withdrawn. The nationwide lockdown has been extended till May 3.
“Our advice has always been that you stay put, times are difficult. It’s a matter of having patience. They should contact the Indian missions wherever they are, and seek their help, support and guidance,” one of the people cited above said.
“To the extent possible, our missions have reached out to a large number of people and are trying to solve their problems. These are difficult times, we need the understanding of our people that this too will pass,” the person added.
In several countries, the people said, the Indian missions have taken the support of non-resident Indians (NRIs) and OCI card-holders to provide support to the stranded Indians. This support has included providing meals and rations to the Indians.
The people also ruled out the possibility of bringing back the Indians who had tested positive for Covid-19, saying their movement increased the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
“We have to very careful dealing with such cases as the nature of the virus is such that it spreads very fast. For that reason, we’ve been advising those who tested positive should stay put, get all the support they can get locally, including medical support,” said one of the people cited above.
“If they start moving to another country or coming back to India, there are chances of spreading the virus. Fortunately, the recovery rate has been good in countries where the Indians tested positive,” the person added.
More than 250 Indians, a majority of them pilgrims from Kashmir, had tested positive in the holy city of Qom in Iran last month. They are currently being treated in special facilities created in Qom.
Indian envoys have reached out to the sick Indians and worked with local governments to ensure they get the best possible care, the people said.
“We hope once they recover, they will hopefully be able to come back and join their loved ones,” a second person said.
Indian authorities have also facilitated the evacuation of some 35,000 nationals of 48 countries who were stranded in India, the people said. This included the citizens of Australia, France, Germany, Israel, Russia, the US, and the UK.
The repatriation of 186 Pakistanis is also being facilitated following a request from the Pakistani mission in New Delhi. Forty-one Pakistanis, who came to India as pilgrims or for medical care and were stranded in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, returned via the Wagah-Attari border crossing on Thursday.
The external affairs ministry’s 24x7 Covid-19 control room has also fielded 18,000 emails and 5,000 phone calls and addressed 2,000 public grievances, the people said.
