Indians in Italy wait for corona-negative certificate to leave

On March 10 the Director-General of Civil Aviation had issued a circular that a certificate that those persons wanting to travel from Italy and Korea to India should get a certificate from those nations that they had tested negative for Covid-19. As several Indians, including those from Kerala, have been held up in Rome for want of this certificate, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday had written to PM Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to get this direction withdrawn.

Meanwhile, the government said in Parliament on Wednesday that it is preparing to send a medical team to Italy to test Indians stranded there ahead of their evacuation.

On Wednesday, a group of residents of Kerala who have been stranded in Italy for want of the negative certificate since Tuesday morning said in a video, “we have been languishing at the airport for the last one day. Residents of other countries are leaving Italy in front of us. We have no food and have been exposed to the crowd at the airport for the last 24 hours. We haven’t got any help from anywhere. Where else we can go, other than returning to our country. We are not going to trouble even our family with corona. We are ready for isolation for home quarantine for any number of days,’’ said a woman, wearing the mask.

As per information from Italy, many persons from Kerala have cancelled their tickets and struggling to find temporary accommodation with Indian community nearby as most of them had vacated their rented premises.

Jeji Mathew, who has been working with a travel firm in Rome from 11 years, told The Indian Express, “it is not Covid-19 alone that has made Indians queue up at airports in Italy. For most Indians working in hospitality and homecare sectors, annual vacation starts on March. There are many who make meager income from home care service. They may be going back to home once in four years. I have come to know that around 2,000 Indians have already booked tickets to India in this month. Many have begun their journey to the airport, after vacating their rented residential premises. They cannot go back if the travel plans go awry.”

Till last week, Italian government had imposed restrictions only in Northern Italy, which has been worst hit. As positive cases and deaths begun to report from Central and Southern parts of the country, the entire country has been declared a red zone with restrictions since Tuesday.

Mathew said since Tuesday, all of Italy has been declared a ‘red zone’, making daily life tough. “Indians have left their places of domicile in Italy after giving a written undertaking to the local authorities that they will not come back during the days of infection. Local people have blocked several residential areas in south and central Italy to prevent entry of outsiders, fearing infections. Many Indians cannot go back to their homes due to such a situation,” he said.

Radin Davis Chandy, who runs a provision store in Milan and has been staying in Italy from 14 years, said it is very difficult to get a negative certificate for Covid-19. We have to approach our paid family or personal doctor, who are authorised to issue such certificate. But, that certificate would be issued only if the applicant stays in home quarantine for 14 days. As hospitals are loaded with Covid-19 positive cases, where is the time to attend the asymptomatic cases?” he asked.

He said most hospitals were packed with people exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms. “Infected people in northern Italy are not allowed to move out. There a few nurses from Kerala under home quarantine in Milan. However, those who want to return home live in central and south Italy, where not many cases have been reported. There is nobody to attend to the matter of issuing a certificate. Doctors are overburdened with suspected cases. How can we push for a certificate?” he asked,” he said.

Jijo Thomas, who works with a private firm for last four years, said hospitality industry had virtually shut down in the wake of the outbreak and that many jobs were lost, at least temporarily. “The women working in care homes have assigned others for the job until they come back after leave. Hence, if they cannot now move out of Italy, these women may not have any place to go,’’ he said.

As the country is in lockdown, there is a shortage for supply of provisions. Only a few markets are open on a given day. To avoid overcrowding, at a time only 2-3 people are allowed inside shops at a time. Outside, others have to stand in a queue maintaining the mandatory distance. The growing number of Covid-19 in South and Central Italy is also a matter of concern for Indians, said Joby Antony, another Kerala resident in Italy.