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Indian health workers examine migrant labourers on Wednesday. Some 3,600 Hong Kong residents are currently stranded in the country, which is on nationwide lockdown. Photo: AP

Coronavirus: first chartered flights in works for Hong Kong residents stuck in India, sources say

  • Expectant fathers and families struggling with medical issues are among those pleading for the government to bring them home soon
  • The first batch of 300 to be repatriated will come from New Delhi aboard an Air India flight
Hong Kong is preparing its first chartered flights for residents of the city stranded in India by the Covid-19 pandemic, hoping to bring about 300 of them home as early as May 14, the Post has learned.

Sources involved in arranging the repatriation said the initial group would depart from New Delhi aboard an Air India flight, while some residents trapped on the subcontinent said they had been notified of a potential flight from Mumbai that could take place a day later.

Hong Kong’s Immigration Department, which last week flew home 319 people from Pakistan, is in the process of helping about 3,600 residents in India, which has been under a nationwide lockdown since March 24.

Intra-country travel, necessary for Hongkongers who need to reach cities like New Delhi for exit flights, could prove a challenge amid a nationwide lockdown. Photo: AP
Among those stranded are expectant fathers, families struggling with medical needs, and students hoping for a return to school, many of whom have urged Hong Kong authorities to bring them home as soon as possible.
In addition to the Pakistan flight, the government has previously arranged chartered returns for residents in Japan, Peru and the mainland Chinese city of Wuhan.
While no official announcement has yet been made about the latest flights, it is thought likely the returnees will be quarantined at Chun Yeung Estate for two weeks upon arrival.

Mariam, a 28-year-old permanent Hong Kong resident, now nearly eight months’ pregnant, is holding out hope her husband might be able to do his mandatory isolation at home.

The 29-year-old engineer has been stranded in Chennai, a coastal city in southeast India, for nearly two months now – ever since flying there on March 9 to attend a funeral.

It was originally the plan for him to [accompany me to the hospital]. No one else is allowed to, so it’s your husband or no one
Mariam, an expectant mother whose husband is trapped in India

His absence has forced Mariam to attend her antenatal check-ups alone, and even stand in queues for masks.

“Sometimes I feel stressed, and it’d be nice to have the extra help you can only expect from a husband,” she said. “He really wants to be here, too. He feels very guilty, as he missed most of the pregnancy.”

Mariam’s doctor has told her the baby could come at any time in the next few weeks, meaning her husband may be unable to accompany her to the hospital when she goes into labour.

“It was originally the plan for him to [accompany me]. No one else is allowed to, so it’s your husband or no one,” she said.

Thousands of miles away, the stress has been no less for her husband.

Markets and restaurants have been shut across large parts of the country under a strict lockdown, including in Chennai, where her husband is staying. “They are not able to access basic necessities and survive only on very basic food,” she said.

Mariam, who is nearly eight months’ pregnant, has been stranded in Chennai, a coastal city in southeast India, for nearly two months. Photo: Dickson Lee

Elsewhere in India, Hong Kong resident Manish Suri, stuck in New Delhi with his family, said he has faced difficulties in securing medication for his wife and son, who are battling chronic heart disease and asthma, respectively.

“Only the local pharmacy is open, but they don’t have the [correct] prescription. It’s scary, and we don’t go out,” he said.

A Hong Kong-raised Indian woman who identified herself as Kaur, meanwhile, told the Post she had been stranded in the northern Indian state of Punjab with her husband and son since March, and their food supply was now running low.

Kaur said her son, a Form Three student at a Hong Kong school, had missed all of his online classes because of technical issues.

“We don’t have a computer here, so he cannot do online classes and revise. He’s going to Form Four next academic year and was supposed to do some tests, but none of that was possible,” she said.

Australian expat Simon Quinn, now in New Delhi, has helped the Australian government with coordination work as it sent five of its own chartered flights to evacuate nationals stranded in India.

Quinn said the transit to the airport had proved a major challenge in evacuation operations like these.

“Some people travelled a couple of days from West Bengal to Delhi,” he said.

On Wednesday evening, the Security Bureau said it had contacted several airlines to explore the possibility of flights, but that details remained subject to a number of factors, including approval and facilitation by involved governments, the ongoing epidemic situation and potential travel restrictions.

“The government will make an announcement as soon as the concrete arrangement is confirmed,” a spokesman from the bureau said.

Additional reporting by Christy Leung

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