UAE shuts doorways to Indians in journey ban; Keralites’ left with fewer work locations in West Asia

Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As international international locations proceed to close doorways within the wake of the outbreak of the lethal second wave of the Indian mutant Coronavirus, there are hardly two locations left for Keralites in West Asia to fly out to for work as on Thursday.

In the newest improvement, UAE has determined to impose journey restrictions on flyers from India for the following 10 days, beginning Saturday midnight. 

Though an official launch is but to be launched by the authorities, the airline sources confirmed that flyers from India have been barred from travelling to the UAE with impact from Saturday midnight and added that the authorities will evaluation the choice after 10 days.

UAE’s latest journey ban will come as a extreme blow to Keralites working within the nation because the Emirates account for round 75-80 per cent of the abroad Indian diaspora in West Asia.

Though flights from India have been barred, departure flights from Dubai to India will proceed as per schedule, in accordance with airline sources.

A senior official from the Air India Express, the low price arm of the nationwide provider, mentioned “the UAE travel ban is almost equal to a lockdown for the airline as around 75 percent of the operations of the airline company were centered on UAE routes.”

Already, there may be an current journey ban for these travelling from India to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, whereas Oman introduced that they might bar entry to arrivals from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh beginning April 24, as a part of steps to comprise the COVID-19 pandemic.

In quick, passengers from Kerala are solely in a position to fly out to locations in two international locations – Qatar and Bahrain – from Saturday. But it might be reviewed quickly by the respective international locations within the wake of a ban by UAE and different international locations.

The airline firms had been working round 28 international locations as a part of Air Bubble agreements entered into which incorporates international locations like USA, Canada, France, Germany, UK, Maldives, Afghanistan and West Asian international locations and so forth.

Out of this, round 10 international locations have shut doorways for Indians after stories of the brand new “double mutant”, the Indian variant of the coronavirus, was been detected in at the very least 10 different international locations, together with the U.S, the U.Ok, Australia, and New Zealand.