The expenses will be paid by the returning Indians who will be in quarantine for at least 14 days. (File photo)

With several Indians returning from foreign countries, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is making arrangements for their institutional quarantine at hotels rated three stars and above.

“The arrival of Indian nationals from foreign countries has started. Sixty-five Indians arrived in Pune from London on Sunday. The PMC has made arrangements for their stay at a star hotel in Balewadi,” said municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad.

The municipal commissioner has deputed executive engineer Yuvraj Deshmukh for making the arrangements for Indians returning from abroad in star hotels for institutional quarantine. The expenses will be paid by those who will be in quarantine for at least 14 days. The PMC will carry out their medical check-up on arrival and monitor them during their stay in quarantine.

“The PMC is ready with facilities for 200 people coming back from abroad in four-star hotels in different parts of the city. This capacity would be scaled up as and when required,” Deshmukh said.

He said lakhs of Indians have applied to the Indian embassy to return.

“There is no exact estimate on how many would return to the city from foreign countries,” Deshmukh said, adding that the PMC is checking all star hotels in the city for the arrangements.

He said that the lockdown has affected the operations of star hotels in the city. “The star hotels have a problem of staff. The lockdown has kept the staff away and getting them back is a tough task. The PMC cannot put up foreign-returned citizens in institutional quarantine in hotels with no staff to provide basic services,” he added.

The PMC, while shortlisting the star hotels for institutional quarantine, is looking at basic amenities, good food and entertainment facilities like television sets with cable connection and Wi-Fi connectivity. “The PMC will provide medical service if anyone shows symptoms. Otherwise, there will be visits by medical teams or their health monitored over telephone,” he said.

The PMC, during the beginning of the pandemic, had made similar arrangements for Indians returning from infected countries as they had refused to be put up at quarantine facilities in various civic buildings.