COVID-19: Indian health-care workers on vacation back home seek exemption from entry ban to UAE

COVID-19: Indian health-care workers on vacation back home seek exemption from entry ban to UAE

Dubai: When Celin Jacob, an assistant chief nursing officer in Dubai, flew home to India with her four-year-old daughter Cheryl on April 10, she was all set to enjoy a week-long break with her father and her husband in Kerala. However, in an unexpected turn of events, not only has Celin become COVID-19 positive, two days after reaching home, but she is now not even in a position to fly back to the UAE any time soon owing to the suspension of passenger flights from India that will kick in from 11. 59pm on April 24. Celin is one of the several Indian health-care professionals from the UAE who are currently vacationing back home, whose travel plans have been affected due to the entry restrictions that are subject to review after ten days. Health-care workers from both government and private hospitals, who were unable to reschedule their air tickets to fly back before the flight suspensions set in, have sought exemption from the entry restrictions in order to be able to return to the UAE. Citing that the unplanned and unexpected manpower shortage due to this can affect the functioning of the health-care institutions they work with, the frontline warriors