Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday indicated that Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) returning to Kerala after the global COVID-19 lockdown would have to undergo medical examination for flu symptoms at their respective port of entry.
He said the expert taskforce headed by former Chief Secretary K.M. Abraham would finalise the protocol. NRIs arriving home from across the globe would have to follow it to prevent a possible resurgence of the contagion.
Another official said the government would perhaps insist that even asymptomatic NRKs go into a self-imposed quarantine for a minimum period of 14 days to insulate society from the pandemic.
Helping hand
Mr. Vijayan said the pandemic had taken an economic toll on the Malayali diaspora whose remittances had propped the State’s finances for long.
He said many faced lay-offs and wage cuts. “We have a responsibility to help them tide over the crisis,” he said.
Mr. Vijayan had on Sunday held a videoconference with NRKs from 22 countries. He asked Malayali associations to succour persons requiring quarantine.
The government has tasked the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation to study the fiscal situation and suggest measures to tide over the crisis.
Helping women
Mr. Vijayan spotlighted the vulnerability of women under COVID-19 surveillance in the Gulf and other countries.
He said many were single and employed as domestic helps and home nurses. The government has asked respective Indian embassies in those countries to ensure their safety and welfare.
He urged the management of educational institutions run by Keralites in the Gulf to postpone collection of fee from students. Kuwait had announced a general amnesty for overstay and other offences in the wake of the epidemic.
However, the country insisted that only Indians who produced an “emergency certificate” from their embassy could qualify for the scheme.
Mr. Vijayan has urged the embassy to waive the fee they charged for issuing such affidavits to Indian citizens.
