14 May,2020 07:05 AM IST | Mumbai | The Editorial
This picture has been used for representational purposes
It has been touchdown India for many stranded across the globe, as evacuation flights have started to bring stranded Indians home.
Let us make the process that they have to undergo on landing in India, as smooth as possible.
There is a great deal of tumult for those taking these flights. Besides shelling out a huge amount for accommodation and living abroad, they must be paying twice the amount for their flight ticket.
Besides that stress, they are also apprehensive about the situation once they touch down at the airport.
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We ran a report in this paper, talking about those who had to stay at hotels for the mandatory quarantine period of 14 days and were told to pay the full amount of the stay upfront.
Many of these passengers were left scurrying for the money. They must have maxed out their cards, and did not have enough to pay at the hotel, adding to the stress all around.
The establishments could ask for the money piecemeal and a system could be worked out where the passengers have time and opportunity to arrange for the payments.
Quarantine terms and options must be clearly explained to those returning, and very well spelt out. There is an enormous amount of trepidation amongst those who cannot afford these hotels, about the centres they will be put into for quarantine. Their fears must be assuaged, they must feel confident that they will be put into a hygienic and safe facility.
This is a tremendous and enervating logistical exercise but all the links in the chain, from announcement of evacuation, to boarding the plane, landing and the quarantine destination, must be in sync and work like a well-oiled machine. On ground conditions and instructions should be crystal clear, as there is comfort and relief in clarity and precision.
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