It was her dream to see penguins. When Samita Rao left Chennai for Antarctica late in February,
she was full of anticipation and a sense of adventure. Little did the 59-year-old corporate executive know that several weeks later, she’d be nowhere close to returning home.
The ban on international flights entering India put in place on March 22 to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic prevented her from coming home. Rao, who has since found her way to the United States, is waiting for another plane that shows no signs of arriving – a repatriation flight.
The lockdown across India is scheduled to be eased on May 3. Already, some states have started opening up sectors of the economy. Yet, there is no clarity on when domestic or international flights will resume, nor do there appear to be steps to bring back Indians who remain abroad. Meanwhile, India has been allowing foreign governments to fly home their citizens who were in India when the lockdown went into effect.
On Monday, Union Minister for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri issued a statement about the resumption of flights that did not give stranded Indians any clarity on when they could head home. “…Flight restrictions that are in...
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