While the UAE partially lifting the travel ban on Indians has come as a huge relief to Kerala expats, they are beset by several uncertainties and confusions. Although the Covishield vaccine, administered in Kerala, has been approved by the UAE, the compulsory RT-PCR test four hours prior to departure has come as a major dampener.
Only if there is a testing facility available at the airport or nearby, can the expats undergo the RT-PCR test four hours prior to departure. However, there are no such testing facilities available in airports in Kerala.
While the state government has began discussions on arranging lab facilities at airports, including the TrueNAT test which gives results within an hour, the permission of various agencies, including the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is required for this.
The government is considering getting temporary permission and set up facilities for COVID-19 tests. For now, only a few airports, including Chennai airport, has facilities arranged for conducting tests.
Besides, there is no clarity on travel of children who have not been vaccinated. No decision has also come about on the return of those whose visa period has expired as they have been staying in Kerala for over six months.
There is also confusion regarding those whose visiting visas have expired and the return of those who have visas from other emirates.
UAE Ambassador to India, Pawan Kapoor, told Malayala Manorama that the matter has been brought to the notice of the UAE authorities and a final decision is awaited.
Passengers arriving at Dubai Airport are also required to be under institutional quarantine until they receive the PCR test results. However, there is no clarity if the government will bear the expenses for quarantine.
So far, quarantine facilities were offered for free for those having residence visa.
Despite these concerns, 23 airlines have began the process of booking tickets. As the air bubble pact is on, expats are hopeful of overcoming these hurdles and making the return journey to the UAE.
Meanwhile, the Dubai Health Authority has stated that Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and Covishield are the same vaccines. This is for the first tome that Dubai has officially offered a confirmation regarding this.
