india

Updated: Apr 09, 2020 18:12 IST

It was an easy decision to make for Briton Andrew Taylor, a retired oil rig worker and a solo traveller to Goa amid the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown enforced since March 25 to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. He has chosen to stay back in Goa and even though he had the option to fly back home on one of the three repatriation flights that the United Kingdom (UK) government is planning to operate this week for stranded British nationals because of the pandemic.

“I’m looking back at an alarming situation in London, as the city is reporting a growing number of Covid-19 positive cases daily. Truth be told, I feel safer in Goa,” Taylor, who is staying at Agonda village in south Goa, told Hindustan Times.

Around 20,000 British nationals are stranded in India because of the lockdown, including some in Goa.

The British government has arranged three repatriation flights from Goa this week and four others from Mumbai and Delhi, but the journey back home is expected to be a long-drawn process for many stranded in other parts of the country, as the wait list has run into thousands of passengers and travelling within India is out of bounds because of the lockdown.

A few Britons have chosen to stay back in Goa, even though most of them are making frantic efforts to head back home for their family exigencies.

“I’d rather stay back in Goa than fly out. I’ve got a place to stay here. Essential commodities aren’t in short supply. Many restaurants are open. The Goans are a caring and friendly lot. Besides, I don’t have my own place to stay in England and I’ll have to stay with my parents. I don’t want to put them at risk in case I get infected by SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, during my return journey back home,” Josh Baxter, another tourist to Goa, said.

“I’m hoping that the pandemic doesn’t worsen in India. If I get infected here, the healthcare facilities aren’t as good as the UK. A decision will be taken soon by the Indian government whether to lift the lockdown on April 14 or extend it further. Perhaps, I’ll wait until then and then take a call about my return trip,” he added.

Usually, foreigners travelling to India visit other popular destinations such as Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. Goa has reported seven Covid-19 positive cases to date, but none of them is a foreigner. Also, the state is yet to report a single Covid-19 related death yet. The low Covid-19 positive case count is also a comforting thought for the stranded foreign tourists in Goa.

“I’m living in Arambol, north Goa, with three people I befriended on my trip to Rajasthan. I came here with a girl I met in the hostel, where I was staying in Udaipur. My other two fellow travellers came from Jaipur. All of us met up at the airport in Jaipur on our way to Goa and now ended up staying together in Arambol. We’re having a nice time here and still undecided whether we’d like to return home soon. I’m from the northeastern part of England, my friend is from Oxford and my other friends are from Mexico and Germany. The situation is quite fluid. Besides, the price of a ticket on one of these repatriation flights is prohibitively expensive,” Charlotte Collins, another British tourist, said.

The British government is charging upwards of £600 for a ticket on a repatriation flight to London, and then the passenger will be quarantined for 14 days upon their arrival there.

Initially, when the lockdown started on March 25, the foreign tourists to Goa were wary. But the state government made adequate arrangements to allay their concerns. Hotels and guest houses have slashed their tariffs by half and essential commodities are being provided to many who were caught unaware of the lockdown.

“The foreign tourists, who’re staying in Goa, have come some time ago. No one is targeting, as they’re not seen as a carrier of coronavirus,” Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant said.

The Goa international airport at Dabolim has handled 19 relief flights, which flew back around 3,300 tourists back to their respective countries, including Russia, France, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, etc.