Spooked by Covid-19 cases in other states, Goans in UAE want direct flights home

PANAJI: A group of expats stranded across the UAE has written to chief minister Pramod Sawant and urged him to convince the Centre to have direct repatriation flights to Goa. The Goans are concerned that flying to other parts of the country and then travelling to Goa would expose them to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
Over 200 Goans in UAE have come together to form a WhatsApp group to share information and provide moral support to each other.

“We have been campaigning and requesting (the government) to get a direct flight to Goa as with the lockdown in India flying to other states will make it difficult for us to get back home ,” said Sweta Narvenkar, one of the persons stranded in UAE.
The expats are also worried that with neighbouring states reporting a high number of positive covid-19 cases, travelling through these states remains “very risky”.
“Chances of people getting infected are high. We can avoid all these situations by taking direct flights to Goa,” said Narvenkar.
She said that many Indians in UAE, including Goan-origin expats, are in a desperate situation. Most of them are senior citizens with health issues while some people’s visas have expired. The group also includes pregnant women, and those who have lost their jobs.
“The official number of stranded Goans registered with the Indian embassy to exit the UAE is much higher,” said Narvenkar.
The Centre has already announced its repatriation plan but the seven-day schedule has repatriation flights flying to some of the most infected cities in the country.
“Nowhere is Goa included as a destination airport even though it falls under Green Zone and almost 3,000 Goans have been registered with the Goa government portal to return to their homeland,” said Narvenkar. She pointed out that the Centre allowed repatriation flights for international tourists and the same courtesy should be extended to overseas Goans who wish to return home.