Vande Bharat Mission, meant for the repatriation of Indians from around the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic, has brought 22,251 passengers to Mumbai, informed Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Taking to Twitter, Thackeray said that 145 flights have brought home 22,251 passengers. "Of these 8,070 passengers are from Mumbai; 7,686 from other districts; 6,495 from other States. By July 1, another 26 flights will land in Mumbai," he added.
Thackeray said that after the passengers arrive in Mumbai, they are kept in institutional quarantine. "Passengers from other districts are being sent to their respective district headquarters," he added.
"Passengers from outside of Maharashtra are being kept at quarantine centres in Mumbai till they get transport passes from their home States. They are being sent home once these passes are received," the Chief Minister further said.
The fourth round of the Vande Bharat Mission will begin from July 3, reported The Hindu. "It will focus on bringing back Indians from the Gulf countries, Malaysia and Singapore, among others from where a large number have registered to return," an MEA official said.
Meanwhile, Mumbai reported 1,297 new COVID-19 cases and 44 deaths on Friday. "The total number of cases in Mumbai stands at 72,287 and the death toll is 4,177," the Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation said in a release.
