COIMBATORE: A city-based software developer is now stranded in Rome for the only reason that he does not have any symptom of Covid-19.
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Srinithin Jayabal, a resident of Peelamedu in the city, was stopped by airport authorities in Rome when he was about to board a flight after clearing the security check and immigration on March 10.
Jayabal, who spoke to TOI over phone on Wednesday, said along with him around 15 Indian passengers had also cleared immigration and security check when a few Emirates staff panicked and asked us to step aside.
“They told us that India had instructed all airlines not to board Indians on the flight unless we had a Covid-19 negative certificate,” he said.
Srinithin Jayabal flew to Rome on February 26 for a two-week trip to meet his clients. At the time, Covid-19 had mainly affected only northern part of Italy and the Lombardy region. “I had planned to return on March 14, but since Italy went into a complete lockdown since yesterday, I rescheduled my tickets to return on March 10,” Jayabal said.
Jayabal said he left the airport and approached multiple hospitals in Rome, both public and private. All the hospitals refused to give a certificate. “According to Italian law, only patients with Covid-19 symptoms can be tested for it. Doctors said they can’t simply test us just because we want to return to our country,” he said.
Jayabal said the Indian embassy in Rome knows the Italian law and should inform the Indian government that getting Covid-19 negative certificates for people without symptoms is not possible. “The Indian embassy is impossible to reach, because the hotline does not work. When we went there physically, we were not even allowed inside and instead made to stand out in the 5 to 10 deg C. They told us that they have mailed the health ministry and only after they get a response, can figure out the next course of action,” he added.
The 30-year-old businessman says he is yet to hear from the external affairs ministry or the Indian embassy even after his tweets to the external affairs minister C Jaishankar and a long email he wrote to all the three on Tuesday night. “Why are we not allowed to return to our own country? And how can an embassy not facilitate return of their citizens to their country? This is bizarre. Why do we pay taxes to facilitate such embassies then?” he asked.
On Monday, all shops, restaurants, hotels and public transport in Rome went into a lockdown after Italy confirmed that they had more than 10,000 cases of the virus.
Coronavirus outbreak live updates
Srinithin Jayabal, a resident of Peelamedu in the city, was stopped by airport authorities in Rome when he was about to board a flight after clearing the security check and immigration on March 10.
Jayabal, who spoke to TOI over phone on Wednesday, said along with him around 15 Indian passengers had also cleared immigration and security check when a few Emirates staff panicked and asked us to step aside.
“They told us that India had instructed all airlines not to board Indians on the flight unless we had a Covid-19 negative certificate,” he said.
Srinithin Jayabal flew to Rome on February 26 for a two-week trip to meet his clients. At the time, Covid-19 had mainly affected only northern part of Italy and the Lombardy region. “I had planned to return on March 14, but since Italy went into a complete lockdown since yesterday, I rescheduled my tickets to return on March 10,” Jayabal said.
Jayabal said he left the airport and approached multiple hospitals in Rome, both public and private. All the hospitals refused to give a certificate. “According to Italian law, only patients with Covid-19 symptoms can be tested for it. Doctors said they can’t simply test us just because we want to return to our country,” he said.
Jayabal said the Indian embassy in Rome knows the Italian law and should inform the Indian government that getting Covid-19 negative certificates for people without symptoms is not possible. “The Indian embassy is impossible to reach, because the hotline does not work. When we went there physically, we were not even allowed inside and instead made to stand out in the 5 to 10 deg C. They told us that they have mailed the health ministry and only after they get a response, can figure out the next course of action,” he added.
The 30-year-old businessman says he is yet to hear from the external affairs ministry or the Indian embassy even after his tweets to the external affairs minister C Jaishankar and a long email he wrote to all the three on Tuesday night. “Why are we not allowed to return to our own country? And how can an embassy not facilitate return of their citizens to their country? This is bizarre. Why do we pay taxes to facilitate such embassies then?” he asked.
On Monday, all shops, restaurants, hotels and public transport in Rome went into a lockdown after Italy confirmed that they had more than 10,000 cases of the virus.
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