New Delhi: Five Indians are among the latest Corona Virus casualties in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Indian Embassy in Riyadh has confirmed the passing away of five Indian nationals in the kingdom . These five Indians include Mr. Shebnaz Pala Kandiyil and Mr. Safvan Nadamal from Kerala, Mr. Suleman Sayyid Junaid from Maharashtra, Mr. Badre Alam from Uttar Pradesh and Mr Azmatullah Khan from Telangana. With a strength of nearly 2 million, Indians form the largest expatriate community in Saudi Arabia, employed mostly in hospitality and mining sectors.
“The Embassy is closely monitoring the situation on the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia, and is taking all the requisite measures to ensure the welfare of Indian citizens in the Kingdom,”said a formal statement released by Indian Ambassador Dr. Ausaf Sayeed. The embassy has a dedicated 24/7 Helpline cum Whatsapp Number ( +966546103992 ) and Email (covid19indianembassy@gmail.com )to address grievances of the Indian community in KSA. Additionally a Whatsapp Group of Indian Doctors has also been created, to reach out in case of any emergency situations, and also provide a first line of access to medical help to Indians with pre-existing or developing medical conditions stranded in a strict lockdown. Additionally the Indian missions through local diaspora network organisations has remained in touch withmajor food supply chains and Indian restaurants for delivery of food to places where needed and also possible creation of quarantine zones for the community if the need arises.
Of the more than 3300 positive Corona virus cases among overseas Indians in 53 countries, more than 2100 (almost 70 percent) are from the Gulf Arab States. Some 300 plus cases of positive Indians has also been reported from Qom and Tehran in Iran. There are more than eight million Indian workers in the six GCC countries(Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates).Nearly half of this diaspora are unskilled or blue collar workers while some 30 percent are semi skilled and 20 percent are part of the skilled work force.
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“The Embassy is in close touch with all major companies in the Kingdom that employ Indian workers and have requested them to ensure that all precautionary measures are put in place such as social distancing norms and monitoring of health of workers, especially in labour camps,” said the embassy. The Embassy reiterates the need for the community to remain calm and show high sense of responsibility and self-discipline, and extend full support to the Saudi authorities in dealing with the situation. All precautionary measures to control the pandemic such as following social distancing norms, staying at home and avoiding gatherings, must be strictly adhered to,” the statement further added.
Despite precautionary measures that include suspension of flights to closure of offices to halting of religious congregations like Umrah, Saudi has witnessed a steady rise in the number of affected cases. Of the nearly 17000 positives cases in the gulf Arab countries, more than 4500 cases have been reported in Saudi alone. Saudi Minister of Health, Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, last week admitted that Corona virus cases are on the rise specially among workers, labourers and crowded neighbourhoods and is a challenge. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on March 17 to discuss efforts to fight the outbreak and later also participated in the G-20 Virtual Summit held on March 26 under chairmanship of the Saudi Presidency to discuss a global coordinated response to the pandemic. India has made it clear there will be no evacuation for now of Indians stranded overseas including in the Gulf. A petition filed on the subject in the Supreme Court has also been postponed by a month for hearing.
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“Due to the extension of the lockdown in India and international flights remaining suspended in the interest and safety of Indians, there is no immediate plan for evacuation at this stage. The Embassy is in constant touch with authorities in both India and Saudi Arabia and will communicate through its social media accounts and website in case of any developments in this regard,” the Indian Embassy in Riyadh has categorically been stated even as the migrants face serious questions about an uncertain future amid a pandemic with enormous human and economic costs.
