Indians stranded overseas are continuing to arrive with the help of Mission Vande Bharat. Till date 57,362 Indians have flown into Mumbai on 419 flights. By August 31, 54 flights more are expected to reach the city from international destinations, a press statement issued by the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s office said.

After the Covid-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic in March, globally commercial airlines stopped flights. Therefore, to rescue Indians who were stranded abroad, the Centre with the help of the External Affairs Ministry launched the mission in early May. Currently, the mission is in the fifth phase.

The statement said that a steady flow of passengers under the mission continues. Out of the total arrivals, 19,383 are from Mumbai, 19,570 from rest of Maharashtra and 18,409 from other parts of the country. The passengers arrived from a number of destinations, which include the UK, Singapore, Japan, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Ukraine and from African countries.

The responsibility of maintaining quarantine protocols for the passengers is with Maharashtra Government. For Mumbai residents, quarantine facilities have been set up in local hotels. For passengers travelling to other States and districts in Maharashtra, the Mumbai district administration is arranging for their transport. Once these passengers reach their destinations, the local district and municipal administration take over the responsibility of their quarantine.

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