Kerala government has toned down its demand for Covid-free certificates for expatriates coming from the West Asian countries after the Centre refused to conduct Covid-19 tests in embassies for returning expatriates from Gulf countries.
The state government has now made PPE kits mandatory for returning expats, medical experts say full PPE kits are not practical for long journeys as after wearing the kit it gets difficult to go to the washroom. Passengers will have to be trained to use them, experts reasoned.
Kerala’s demand for Covid-free certificate has affected many flights and has outraged expatriates. Many said the state was only interested in maintaining its Covid-19 record and not the welfare of its people stranded in the Middle East.
An estimated 18 lakh people from Kerala work in the Gulf. The government is expecting at least 4 lakh to return amid the Covid-19 crisis while at least 85,000 have returned so far.
“We are in talks with the Centre for testing people who are returning to the state. Some of the embassies have informed us about their readiness. We hope this will be sorted out soon,” chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said, adding the state was firm on its decision to make carrying Covid-19 free certificates mandatory for expats.
{{/usCountry}}“We are in talks with the Centre for testing people who are returning to the state. Some of the embassies have informed us about their readiness. We hope this will be sorted out soon,” chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said, adding the state was firm on its decision to make carrying Covid-19 free certificates mandatory for expats.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, the state had said certificates will be mandatory from June 20 but later it was extended by five more days.
As confusion over expatriates’ return continues, Kerala reported 141 coronavirus cases, the highest single-day number since the outbreak began in January, on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the state Covid-19 tally rose to 3,451 with 22 fatalities while 1,809 people have recovered from the disease.