Gov't pledges 'best measures' for safe return of citizens from virus-hit India
Health workers wearing personal protective equipment carry wood to prepare a funeral pyre for a coronavirus disease victim during a mass cremation at a crematorium in New Delhi, India, April 26. Korea's foreign ministry said Tuesday that it would help Korean citizens in India return to Korea safely. Reuters-Yonhap
The foreign ministry pledged "best measures" Tuesday for the safe return of South Korean citizens from coronavirus-ravaged India, dismissing worries that recent restrictions on flights from the country will hamper their return home.
The ministry also plans to offer "considerable" support to India, including oxygen concentrators and COVID-19 diagnostic kits, to support the country gripped by surges in new COVID-19 infections, ministry spokesman Choi Young-sam said.
"In some quarters, there are concerns that even non-scheduled flights to carry our citizens back home may be suspended. But that is not true," Choi told a regular press briefing.
"In cooperation with the community of South Korean residents, the aviation authorities and relevant authorities, our government will take best measures necessary for the safe return of our citizens," he added.
Regular flights between South Korea and India were suspended in March last year over coronavirus concerns. Since then, only non-scheduled flights have been operated between the two countries.
But on Saturday, Seoul authorities started to limit the operations of non-scheduled flights as well, as India has set a daily world record of more than 300,000 new infections. The move triggered concerns among South Koreans in India, who have waited for their flights to return home.
Currently, about 10,000 South Koreans are in India, including 5,000 in Chennai and 4,000 in New Delhi. As of Monday, 114 of them have contracted the virus, with 37 still being treated, according to the ministry.
The ministry is seeking to send medical oxygen concentrators to infected citizens by using diplomatic pouches and to help other patients by sharing information on hospital beds and other medical assistance, Choi said.
The ministry also plans to begin consultations soon with India to discuss Seoul's envisioned provision of support, which is said to be worth millions of dollars.
"South Korea has decided to provide quarantine and public health items to India, where COVID-19 has rapidly been spreading," the spokesman said.
The COVID-19 situation has been spiraling into a serious crisis in India amid expectation that a new virus variant in the country is fueling the spread, as the United States and other countries have pledged support. (Yonhap)