We were able to return to Oman at the last minute, say expats

Muscat: Indian expatriates living in Oman say they are grateful to be able to return to the country before the decision to ban passengers from three South Asian countries came into effect.

Many people from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh who had flown to their home countries on holiday and business were expected to return later, but they were forced to prepone their flights so that they could come back before 6pm on Saturday, 24 April.

“I believe I came in on the last flight to Oman, at 5:45 pm, just 15 minutes before the ban,” said Arun Kumar, who needed to cut short his holiday to Kerala, “I was initially required to fly back on the 13th of May - I had only come to India on the ninth of this month to see my family. When I heard of this ban, fortunately, the travel agents in Muscat were very helpful in organising everything.

“It took me one and a half days to get my PCR test in Kerala, and even at the last minute, I was not sure if I would get a seat,” he added.

“Fortunately, at 7:45pm on Friday evening, my agent told me there was a cancellation, and asked whether I would be willing to occupy that seat, so I had to get everything organised in a hurry.

“In Kerala, there was also a lockdown on the weekend, so my uncle - who dropped me to the airport - placed a sticker on the front of the car to inform the police at the checkpoints that we needed to go there because of the things that had taken place in Oman, and they let us go,” said Arun. My house is about four hours from the international airport in Kochi, so we needed to leave early in the morning.”

Currently undergoing institutional quarantine, Arun waited nearly four hours after landing at Muscat International Airport, owing to the large numbers of passengers who had travelled at the last minute from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. He spent about OMR800 for his return to Oman: with roughly half that amount going towards his return ticket, and another one-third towards his accommodation.

He also forked out a further OMR9 for fast-track immigration processes in Muscat, and although he was able to fly home, Arun has asked people not to travel at present, because of sudden changes in rules which might require them to return unexpectedly, or worse still, leave them stranded as there is no way to come back.

Another Indian expat, Urmi Maniar, flew from Ahmedabad to Delhi on Saturday afternoon before boarding a plane for Muscat with her children. Currently undergoing domestic quarantine, she too advised people to complete all they need to do for their return journeys on time, due to the strict entry protocols that many countries have set up.

Urmi was expecting to travel shortly after her rescheduled flight anyway, but those who have booked their return tickets must not be lax when it comes to following COVID prevention procedures. To save her children the hassle of waiting in queues for a long time, she also booked the meet and greet service in both Delhi and Muscat.

“This turned out to be really beneficial for us, because it meant we were able to pass through immigration quickly,” she said.

“The entry and exit procedures, and the RT-PCR COVID tests were done relatively fast for us, so it was worth paying the extra money, particularly right now, when there are a lot of time-consuming procedures in the airports.

“Please take these rules seriously, as the COVID situation around the world is quite concerning,” she added.

 “If we all follow the rules, then we will be able to help each other during the pandemic.”

While Urmi was flying from Delhi, one of her fellow countrymen, who came back to Muscat on a flight from Mumbai, said he too needed to cut short his leave, owing to the regulations that came into effect last Saturday.

“My company was very understanding and they did their best to accommodate my needs,” he said. “They were the ones who organised the ticket for me, made sure I registered on the e-Mushrif app, and organised the sending of my PCR tests, which I had already done. I think for anyone caught in such a situation, the most important thing is to keep calm and do what needs to be done. The rest will take care of itself.”