Vande Bharath rescue mission - first hand experience

[kurnool NTR]

A lengthy process, lifted from somebody’s timeline. Might be useful if somebody is planning to travel.

Hi this is for your Indian citizens relatives and friends 

First hand Experience of the person who travelled to India under Vande Bharat Rescue mission. Thought it would be useful for others who are planning to travel during the Pandemic.

India Travel - COVID Situation

Before thinking of travel

    Check if you are an Indian passport holder. Currently, the travel is strictly allowed only for Indian passport holders. Maybe in the future, the Indian Government will start foreign and OCI cardholders.

    Check your body temperature. If you are above 99.0 F, you may lose your chance to travel.

    You have a genuine reason to travel back to India. If you don't have a genuine reason, please leave the spot for others who are needy.

    You are okay to be quarantined for 14 days in India on self expense.
    Check the evacuation flight schedule at Air India website -

http://www.airindia.in/evacuation-flight.htm

Rumors & Facts

    Rumor - You can be home quarantined
    Fact - You are not allowed to be home quarantined

    Rumor - You’ll be quarantined at government detention center
    Fact - There is nothing like a government detention center. You’ll be kept at some designated hotel on your own expense.

    Rumor - You’ll have to undergo COVID-19 test at the airport
    Fact - There will be only thermal tests at the airport. Further thermal tests will be taken at the hotel. If you are beyond the permitted limit of temperature then you’ll be treated in isolation.

    Rumor - Airline will provide face mask, sanitizers and hand gloves
    Fact - No, the airline won't provide any of these. However, they will provide a face shield which can be used on top of your face mask.

Overall timeline

    1 - 3 days for Embassy call and Air India to book the ticket. In many cases, an embassy's call may take weeks depending on your origin and number of requests.
    5 - 6 hrs before boarding the flight
    Flight duration depends on your origin and destination. For me, EWR to BOM - 14 hrs
    5 - 6 hrs after you land to your destination and start your journey to your quarantine facility
    From the airport to your quarantine location it depends on your own preferences. For me, Mumbai to Pune - 3 hrs
    Get into your room - 1 hr

Suggestions for Elders/babies

    Do you really want to travel in this situation? If you can hold for another 4-5 months then I would suggest to avoid travelling at this time. If you really want to travel now, then I recommend the below instructions.
    Do not carry heavy check-in bags. If you carry, you should be okay to handle them on yourself throughout your journey. Airport luggage trolleys would be available at the airport only, but not for further journey.
    You need to manage to wear a face mask all the time. I understand it's difficult for elders/babies to keep a mask on all the time but you definitely don't want to take a risk.
    Try to opt for the quarantine hotel at the nearest facility from the airport. If you belong to another State/District than the airport location then try not to travel for a long time in this summer time. To decide your quarantine city, you need to read Point# 8 below carefully.  

Steps to book the flight for India from USA

    Fill and submit below form

https://indianembassyusa.gov.in/reg_indian_nationals

Note - every state has its own link. Please check with the respective Indian embassy.

    Wait for the call from the Embassy.
    The Embassy will decide to whom to select for the repatriation flight based on urgency. The Embassy will call individuals to ask if they are ready to board the flight as per schedule.
    In some cases, I have observed that the Embassy will call the individuals on the same day as flight departure. So, if you have registered and you really want to travel then you should be in ready-to-go condition.
    Upon your confirmation, the Embassy will forward your information to Air India officials for flight booking.
    You’ll receive an email from an authorized Air India official about flight booking.  
    The email contains details regarding the air India account number to transfer the flight fare. Wire transfer is the slow process of booking. I recommend using a Credit Card for paying the airfare.
    Airfare will be costly. For Newark to Mumbai I have paid $1361.40
    Air India will issue an air ticket on the same day or later. But at times, they will not even respond to your calls/emails because of the rush. You don't need to panic even if you don't have an air ticket. You can directly reach the airport 5-6 hrs prior to departure and contact the Embassy officials. They will issue you a ticket right away as long as you have received a call from the Embassy (step 2).

Note - if you know any embassy or air India personnel then it will become very easy to handle this situation.

    Make sure you fill the state-specific form as well to help decide the State Government about your quarantine facility well in advance.

Note - for your state, please check the CMO website or twitter handle for the link.

    If you fail to submit this form, the Police authorities will decide your quarantine location based on your passport address.

What to carry for your travel and quarantine period

Bags

    Make sure you are packing 2 check-in bags as per the limits (23kgs each). Excess weight in these 2 bags is chargeable.
    No extra check-in bag is allowed strictly.
    Carry-on and personal items are also checked for weights. Make sure you don't carry extra weight to avoid last moment chaos.
    TV or big size items are not allowed.

Food

    Carry your own food for the flight duration. The airline is allowing passengers to eat their own food in flight. I recommend not to eat in-flight packed food.
    Carry your own water bottle.
    If you have kids, make sure you pack their food as well.
    Carry some extra food, like dry fruits, biscuits, haldiram packs, chips, chocolates, etc. if you want to eat during 14 days of quarantine.

Personal belongings

    Make sure you have sufficient face masks, hand gloves and sanitizers to use throughout your journey and quarantine period.

Important suggestion for face mask - if your face mask is ear hanging type then you may need to reconsider buying another type of mask which can be ear hang free. For me, it was a hell of a lot of pain to keep an ear hanging mask on for ~30 hrs.

    The airline won't provide a blanket in flight, so make sure you are properly covered and carry a jacket if you want to use it during flight.
    Carry essential stuff like daily usage clothes, personal lotions, etc. which is sufficient for 14 days of quarantine.
    Don't forget to carry the US to India socket converter to charge your phone, laptop, portable charger, etc.

Other

    Carry a pen. You need to fill many forms until you reach your home.
    Make sure you carry sufficient amounts of Indian currency.
    Make sure your Indian cards and working and/or you have GooglePay/PayTM working on your mobile phone.
    Make sure you are carrying an active Indian phone number, to use for the AarogyaSeva app after reaching your destination. This is mandatory for all travelers.
    If you don't have any active Indian SIM card, you can register any of your family member’s number and get the OTP to proceed. Or you can ask your friend/family well in advance to buy a new SIM card for you and keep ready for your use when you reach your destination airport.

Onboarding flight

    Wear a face mask and hand gloves all the time.
    Reach to the airport a 5-6 hrs period to the departure time.
    There will be a big queue with maintaining social distance throughout.
    Airport officials will hand over an undertaking form, you need to fill it and be in the queue for thermal tests.
    The allowable temperature is below 99.0 F.
    If you are within the allowable limits, you can proceed to the bags check-in counter.
    You may need to fill another undertaking form before bag check.
    After bag check-in, and security check-in, you can remain in the waiting halls. I recommend eating your food before boarding the flight when you have minimum people around you.
    There won't be any social distancing inside the flight. So, it will be risky to remove the face mask anytime.
    Try to use the washroom as minimum as possible.
    You need to fill a form (2 copies) of the self-health declaration. Forms will be provided to you on your seats or you can get it from airport authorities after offboarding the flight.

Reaching your destination

    After offboarding the flight, you will be grouped in a batch of ~20 for thermal testing. You need to hand over the self-health declaration form and do the thermal test.
    After the test, you’ll be directed towards the AarogyaSeva counter where you need to download the app and enter your registered Indian phone number. This is a mandatory procedure before immigration.
    Once you have installed the app and registered the number, you’ll be instructed to be in the immigration queue.
    After immigration, you’ll be walking towards your baggage area. After the bag picks up and passes through customs, you will be reaching towards the travel desk.
    Depending on your home address you have entered in a State registration form, you’ll be grouped together with the people belonging to the same State/districts.
    The State Police officials will hand over to you a Commissioner permit letter to allow you to travel to the respective districts and will assign you a vehicle along with the driver.
    There will be a long wait to begin your journey to your own districts.
    This transportation is self-paid and they only accept cash. So you have to make sure you are carrying enough cash (or you can withdraw from ATMs). The Transportation amount depends on the distance between your airport and your district. For Mumbai to Pune - Rs. 1170, For Mumbai to Nagpur - Rs. 8000.
    The vehicle will be non-AC, so choose your quarantine destination wisely. Considering the current summer weather, it will be difficult to travel for a long time.
    Please note that you may face difficulties while putting your luggage in the bus/cab if you are an elderly person. Even if people are willing to help, no one will touch your bags.
    If you are local (e.g. Mumbai), you will be provided with the list of quarantine hotels and you need to choose. There is a range of hotels for Mumbai people.
    Unfortunately, there will not be multiple options for hotels for other people.

14 days Quarantine

    14 days of quarantine is compulsory for everyone.
    As you reach your quarantine hotel, hotel officials will give you the instructions to follow.
    Hotel rates depend on the type of facility they are providing. For a 3-star hotel, for a single room, you may need to pay Rs. 35000 for a 14 nights stay which includes 3 meals a day and taxes.
    Hotel facilities are pretty decent. Cannot complain.
    You can pay using your Indian cards or online net banking.
    If you are not able to pay using any of the means mentioned above, then you can ask your relatives/friends to either stop by at your hotel or provide card information over the call and ask hotel officials to complete the payment.
    Once you step into the room, you are not allowed to step out for 14 days.
    After 1-2 days, there will be a Doctor’s visit to your room only for your health checkup and sample collection. If you are diagnosed with COVID-19 then the officials will shift you to the concerned treatment places.
    You don't need to pay for these tests.
    There will be another Doctor’s visit as you approach the end of the quarantine period. If you don't show any symptoms, you’ll be allowed to travel to your home/hometown.

I traveled from Newark (USA) to Mumbai on 10th May 2020 and quarantined in Pune.
Regards!

xxxxxx