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Coronavirus: Pregnant Indian woman to fly home from Dubai after filing repatriation petition

Dubai - 'Our action raised a lot of awareness about the situation being faced by couples amid Covid-19'

A 27-year-old Indian woman, who filed a petition to the Supreme Court of India seeking help to return home for her delivery, is all set to return home on the first flight to India from Dubai on Thursday, May 7, Khaleej Times has learnt.
 
Athira Geetha Sreedharan from Kozhikode district in Kerala said she wanted to return home to deliver her first baby, due on the first week of July.
Also read: 6,500 pregnant Indian women register to fly home from UAE
She, along with her husband, Nithin Sreedharan, filed a writ petition in the Apex Court last month seeking help to return to India following the total of suspension of domestic and international flights in and out of India. The couple filed the petition with the help of UAE-based expat organisation INCAS UAE.
However, after weeks of uncertainty, it has been confirmed that Athira will be flying to India on Thursday. Sreedharan shared the good news with Khaleej Times and said, "We are ecstatic, really very happy." Athira will be travelling alone, as the couple did not want to waste an extra emergency seat as someone else might really need it.
She is the 31st week of her pregnancy and has a medical certificate from the doctor that states she is fit to fly. "We've also completed our Covid-19 tests from the drive-thru medical centres," said Athira.
 
"I must thank the Consulate General of India. Consul General Vipul himself made this happen, and we got a call from Air India providing details of our tickets," said Sreedharan.
 
"More than a decision from the Apex Court, our act raised a lot of awareness into the situation being faced by couples such as ourselves here in the UAE. There are so many pregnant families who are here on visit visa and don't have medical insurance, or husbands have lost their jobs," he added.  
He said the media played a huge role in making this possible as well.
 
Sreedharan cited his work in the construction industry as one of the primary reasons for the family taking this decision. "I am always exposed to several thousand people per day. We were worried about putting her (Athira) and the baby's life at risk," said Sreedharan.