7-day mandatory quarantine in govt facilities for all stranded Kerala returnees from abroad

 Kerala will make quarantine overseen by the state compulsory for all rescued expats and has asked the Centre to screen the returnees before they board the flights.

Thiruvananthapuram: All stranded Kerala returnees from abroad will be quarantined for seven days at government facilities, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said during his daily briefing.

After the quarantine period, the returnees have to undergo PCR test and those who test negative will be quarantined at home for one more week.  "One lakh beds are readily available. We also hope our facilities will increase from 45000 PCR tests to 60000 by this month end," Vijayan said.

Vijayan said that he has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, mentioning these and certain “glitches” in the Centre's plans. "Earlier when people were evacuated from Italy and Iran, Indian medical team had tested them before they began their journey," he said

During the first leg of the Union government’s evacuation plan for NRIs from May 7 to 13, 3,150 Keralites stranded in West Asian countries and Malaysia will be flown back on 15 flights. 

According to reports, the first flight will land on Thursday in Kochi airport.  200 Indians from Abu Dhabi will touch down in the flight.

Kannur airport:

All airports except Kannur will be utilised for the purpose though many of those who have registered to return had opted to disembark there.