Kerala to bring back 2 lakh expatriates from West Asia post lockdown

With Kerala being the only state reporting more recovered COVID-19 cases than infected ones with each passing day, the state government has now announced that it is preparing for the return of around two lakh expatriates, mainly blue-collar workers, from West Asia after the ongoing nationwide lockdown. Around 20 lakh people from Kerala work in blue-collar jobs in the mining and oil industry in West Asian countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

Officials have reportedly said that after bringing them back, the state will face a huge challenge since over half of the total COVID-19 cases in Kerala have been traced to those who had returned from the region.

Read: Kerala Relaxes COVID-19 Lockdown Phase-wise; Dine-in Restaurants To Open In Non-hotspots

The United Arab Emirates, in a recent statement, announced that they were considering to impose restrictions on nations that have refused to call their citizens back who wish to return to their home countries amid the novel Coronavirus outbreak

Read: Kerala Reports Solitary Case, 78,000 Under Observation

Expats to return after May 3

Keeping the welfare of its workers in mind, Kerala has now created quarantine facilities for Indian expatriates who are said to return back to the state in batches after the extended lockdown which will be lifted on May 3. Officials assured that they would only be allowed to return home if after being kept under quarantine for a significant amount of time. 

Meanwhile, in an attempt to provide relief amid the Coronavirus pandemic, the Kerala government has divided the state into four zones to lift lockdown restrictions in a staggered manner. These zones are namely — Red, Orange A, Orange B and Green. Currently, a total of 399 cases have been identified in Kerala, out of which 255 have been reported to have recovered, while two people have been reported to have died. 

Read: Kerala Man Recovers From COVID-19, Dies Of Other Complications

Read: Kerala Likely To Relax Lockdown In Some Areas, Classifies Districts Based On COVID Threat