Kerala orders expats from Middle East  travelling on chartered flights to Kerala should carry Covid-negative certificates

Protests  galore among expatriates as getting a test result in the stipulated time of  48 hours before boarding the flight is not possible in the countries where they live . The rule is not applicable to those travelling on the Vande Bharat Mission flights.

Dampening the happiness of hundreds of Keralite  expatriates desperately waiting to return to their native,  the Kerala government has said on Saturday that people returning home from  West Asian countries should be tested negative before boarding private chartered flights to the state and carry certificates to that effect. This rule is not applicable to those travelling on the Vande Bharat Mission flights.

 “From June 20, all private chartered flights departing to Kerala from Middle East countries shall only carry Covid-19 negative passengers. Test certificates must be carried by them. It applies to all flights for which consent letters were issued earlier,” Kerala Principal Secretary Dr K Elangovan said, according to the news agency ANI.

Kerala had put up an excellent show of controlling the spread of the deadly virus through a very effective and systematic approach to the issue which earned the state international acclaim before the flow of people from abroad and other states seeking solace in their home state. Now the state authorities are worried over the increase in the number of patients, most of them are those  who came from foreign countries and other states heavily affected by the  disease. The state authorities said the new rule is to reduce the spread of the virus. However, the rule is scheduled to  take place from 20th of  this month.

There are wide protests among expatriates against the government decision  as  getting a test certificate  is not that easy in the stipulated time of 48 hours before the flight as the test results normally take  one week to come in the countries where  they live. They request the government to withdraw the rule as any delay reaching their home state is detrimental. 

However, it is hoped that considering the concern among the expatriates and political parties against the rule, the government may change  its decision.