Flight from London with 323 passengers arrives at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport

BENGALURU: An Air India flight carrying 323 passengers from London landed at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport in the wee hours on Monday, the first flight to reach the state under the central government’s Vande Bharat evacuation mission for Indians stranded overseas due to the travel restrictions wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic across the world.

In all, Karnataka expects about 6,100 passengers to arrive at the Bengaluru and Mangaluru airports, and through the Mangaluru and Karwar ports in the next few days.

Flights from Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Dammam, Muscat, Doha, Jakarta, Melbourne, Vancouver, Paris and Dublin are expected between May 15 and May 22.


The flyers were made to fill up forms with their contact details and were stamped with a seal on their hands mentioning their quarantined status before being sent for institutional quarantine in the city.

All the returnees will be quarantined for 14 days and will be tested for Covid-19 infections twice — on the day of landing and on the 12th day. The state government has given the passengers an option of five-star, three-star or budget hotels for stay, on a self-payment basis.

Health authorities said hostel facilities will be provided only to those who cannot afford to pay. The department has categorised them as A (with symptoms of the infection), B (asymptomatic but with comorbidities or above the age of 60), and C (asymptomatic healthy individuals).

Institutional quarantining has been made mandatory for all.

Those in the high-risk categories A and B are, however, taken to Covid Care Centres and will be kept under observation. Category C returnees will be required to stay in hotels.

FOURTEEN NEW CASES
The state reported 14 new positive Covid-19 cases, taking the total tally to 862, a slight lull from the last few days when cases had spiked. Opening up the borders to inter-state passengers also contributed to the fresh cases. Four cases reported on Monday had travel history to Mumbai and Ahmedabad, which have become Covid-19 hotspots.

According to state government data, about 76% of patients are asymptomatic. Of the Covid-19 confirmed cases reported so far, only 13% had travel history, while 69% had contact history. About 8% of the cases have Severe Acute Respiratory Infections and Influenza Like Illness and health authorities have not been able to establish the source of infection in these.