Under Operation Samudra Setu, the Indian Navy’s ship INS Jalashwa brought 700 stranded Indians to Tuticorin from the Maldives today. They included 508 from Tamil Nadu and 192 from different other states.
Those from Tuticorin and other states will be quarantined within the port city for the mandatory seven-day period while others from the adjoining districts in Tamil Nadu have been sent by specially arranged buses for home quarantine.
Meanwhile, two Air India special aircraft with about 580 Indians landed in Chennai Airport today.
Tamil Nadu has not joined many other states in the country in opening up the places of worship tomorrow. As there are concerns about safety, with the state having one of the heaviest caseloads in the country, it prefers to wait before taking a final call on it.
Tamil Nadu reported 1515 new COVID-19 cases today taking the total count to 31,667. However, the active caseload is 14,396. After recovery, 604 people were discharged today from hospitals. 18 patients succumbed to the disease taking the total fatality to 269.
The Indian naval vessel INS Jalashwa dropped its anchor in the Tuticorin Port this morning to complete the fourth round of its ongoing humanitarian mission. The 700 returnees brought back to the homeland include 45 women who were stranded in the Maldives under the Operation Samudra Setu.
The evacuation exercise has been closely coordinated by the Indian High Commission in Male. Last month, the INS Jalashwa sailed twice and INS Magar once from Male to bring back around 1,500 people to Kochi.
INS Jalashwa had also brought 685 people from Sri Lanka to Tuticorin last week. Apart from safeguarding the Indian maritime interests, her territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone, the Indian Navy is also playing a vital part in rendering humanitarian assistance whenever required.
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