India is ready to fight back the deadly Coronavirus that has taken a toll on the world. The country started with quarantining the airports, opening testing centers, and providing testing kits. As of now, there are 174 positive cases of Covid-19, and four deaths have happened due to the virus, but the majority of the cases are from Maharashtra. However, the urgent issue in hand is the 26k Indians that are returning to their homeland from Gulf countries like Iran, Qatar, Oman, and UAE, that needless to say are in the clutches of Coronavirus.
The BMC estimates 23 flights coming from the Gulf countries every day, and each passenger of the flights needs to be tested and quarantined for at least 14 days. Indians have to strengthen their defenses by creating more quarantine centers and effective testing. The BMC has converted the training center in Powai and SevenHills hospital in Marol as the quarantine facility.
Mr. Praveen Pardeshi, the BMC commissioner, gave a statement, "People coming in from the airport should be in home-quarantine for 14 days at their homes, at hotels in the vicinity of the airport or our facility at SevenHills or Powai. They cannot take public transport if they want to travel by road to their homes but can hire their own vehicles. Public participation is a priority, and all Mumbaikars have to fight the virus by taking precautions and maintaining hygiene to ensure it does not spread to others."
Apart from 26k Indians from the Gulf, 195 Indians have left Iran according to the Indian Express and were sent to Jaisalmer Military Station for isolation. The Rajasthan Defense PRO, Sombit Ghosh gave a statement, "Army authorities have confirmed that all the quarantined persons are stable and are making full use of the facilities available in the wellness facility."
BMC has even arranged transportation facilities for 26K Indians so that they can be transported to the quarantine facilities. Some of them who will be accompanied by their families will also have to stay in isolation to prevent the spread. But, according to Firstpost, there are at least 274 Indians who are abroad and are suffering from Covid-19. There are 255 Indians in Iran, 12 in UAE and 5 in Italy and one each in Hong Kong, Kuwait, Rwanda, and Sri Lanka.
The worst situation is of the students stranded in the Philippines. As the Filipino Government has announced lockdown, the students are told to either go back to India or at their own risk. These students are in transit, and as the Indian Government had banned travels, these students had nowhere to go. However, now the flights are being arranged to get them back home safely.
However, this was the information of the Indians abroad, but people who are staying in their own country are also facing challenges. The sweepers and labourers of Kachara Vahtuk Shramik Sangh are treating hard waste without any precautions like gloves or face mask, according to the Mumbai Mirror. The general secretary of the Sangh, Milind Ranade, stated, "There are around 6500 contractual labourers in the solid waste management department. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, these workers have not been provided with proper masks, hand gloves, uniforms, shoes, and soap or sanitisers."
However, there is a certain group of people who don't think it is such a big epidemic. As the gyms have closed, these groups of people started working out on streets claiming that regular boosts their immunity. Amidst all this, Indian Authorities are doing their best to reduce the impact of the virus and prevent mass contamination, but it is time for self-quarantine as well.
