134 Thai, Laos nationals stranded in Bihar amid Covid-19 lockdown to be repatriated on Wednesday

GAYA: Altogether 134 Thai and Laos nationals stranded on account of the nationwide coronavirus-induced lockdown will be repatriated by a special Thai Smile Airways flight on Wednesday. They will embark the special flight at Gaya airport. According to airport director Dilip Kumar, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given the nod for the operation of the special flight.
Of those being repatriated on Wednesday, 124 are Thai nationals. The remaining five are from Laos. The government of Thailand is cooperating with the Laos officials for the repatriation of stranded Laos nationals.
This would be fifth special flight for stranded foreign nationals. Earlier, 600 Thai and Myanmar nationals were repatriated through four special flights between 22 -25 April’2020. The repatriates included 258 Mayanmar nationals. 22 Myanmar nationals missed the special flight.
Gaya airport has also been made the disembarkation point for nearly 8000 Biharis who are stranded in the middle east including UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for different reasons including job loss and travel restrictions imposed on account of Covid-19.
Meanwhile arrangements are being made to accommodate the returnees from the gulf in the Bodh Gaya hotels and monasteries. District Magistrate Abhishek Singh has issued strict instructions not to allow the family members, relatives and friends of the returnees to meet them during their quarantine period.
Meanwhile, the prospect of at least some gulf returnees proving to be Covid-19 carriers has caused concern in the Civil Society. According to activist Brajnandan Pathak, only Covid negative test report holders should be allowed to return. Pathak also requested district officials to ensure effective maintenance of the protocol snd SOP to insulate locals against likely infection.
Fear factor has gripped Bodh Gaya residents says Suresh Singh President of the Bodh Gaya Nagar Vikas Manch. Maintaining that the Rs 15000 fixed by the administrative officials for providing food and accommodation to returnees to be kept in quarantine in Bodh Gaya hotels was too little, Singh said that hoteliers were ready to provide hefty rebate to the tune of 40 per cent of the tariff and that was fair enough. In West Bengal too, tariff rebate and not low fixed charge was the norm.
Hotel staff are reluctant to serve the quarantined returnees on account of the risk factor, said Singh. There was no insurance cover either for hotel staff, said Singh. Earlier during the interaction, District Magistrate Abhishek Singh told the hoteliers that a sizeable number of returnees being blue collar workers doing odd jobs in the middle east were not well off enough to meet high hotel tariff.
Besides hotels, Bodh Gaya based monasteries too have been identified as quarantine centres. There are about 50 foreign monasteries in Bodh Gaya. According to Ven Pragyadeep, President of the International Buddhist Council, enough accommodation was available in the hotels and as such monasteries should be spared to the extent possible.