75 pregnant women leave Dubai for India on one single flight as repatriations enter second phase
Dubai: Seventy five pregnant women will leave Dubai for India on one single flight to Kochi today, as the second phase of coronavirus repatriation flights gets underway on Saturday.
Tweets from the Consul General of India’s Office in Dubai confirmed that today’s flight to Kochi, scheduled to depart at 12.45 is “very different” as it carries “181 passengers including 75 pregnant women on board, with doctors and nurses to assist, if needed.”
Eleven Air India Express flights are planned to depart Dubai for India in the second phase of Vande Bharat (Hail India) Mission, starting today May 16 until May 23, earlier tweets had stated.
Statistics from the first phase of repatriation flights from Dubai to India, which started on May 7-14, were also announced by the consulate.
In the tweets the Consul General’s office confirmed that the first phase of the mission had been “eminently successful” with 11 flights and 2,079 passengers transported from Dubai to India.
Of these 2,079 passengers, 760 were workers, 438 were stranded tourists and students, 398 were medical emergency cases, 190 were pregnant women, 126 were senior citizens and 167 were classed as ‘others’.
According to health protocols, all arriving passengers will be undergoing a health check up.
Those with symptoms will be taken to hospital and the remaining will be sent home to begin quarantine.
State Health Minister for Kerala, KK Shailaja said nothing should be taken lightly by those returning.
“All of them are our own people and they will have to return to their homes,” she said. “This is going to be a crucial phase and hence everyone has to be more cautious and alert to see that nothing is taken lightly.
“There will be more number of people who will have to be under observation and it’s very important that all follow the guidelines, if not, things will go out of hand.”