PANJIM: Late Tuesday night, the first batch of stranded seafarers that were on board the Marella Discovery crossed the border into Goa, after having left Mumbai early the same morning.
The seafarers had left for Goa via road in three Maharashtra registered buses. While the first bus with 20 passengers crossed the border a little before 9 pm, another bus arrived over an hour later. Sources said the third bus was delayed as it broke down on the way in Maharashtra.
Sources told Herald that while on their way back to Goa, the seafarers halted twice for lunch and for tea.
On arrival at the Patradevi checkpost, Pernem Deputy Collector Chandrakant Shetkar, DySP Gajanan Prabhudessai, Police Inspector Sandesh Chodankar and Mamlatdar Anant Malik inspected the travel documents and other permissions of the seafarers.
The buses were then allowed to proceed towards Panjim, where the seafarers will be placed under quarantine for 14 days.
Meanwhile, the Goa government was geared up to test the homecoming seafarers for COVID-19 again and quarantine them at a facility for 14 days. Deputy Collector (Tiswadi) Vivek H P on Tuesday morning made sure that all arrangements were in place at a hotel, which has been designated as a quarantine facility, to house the staff of the cruise liner.
Safety advisories were displayed for the returning crew members asking them to sanitise their hands, sign and mention their hotel room numbers send their photos via WhatsApp on the given number or email id of the hotel.
The seafarers left Mumbai by following all the lockdown orders, including social distancing. They were initially tested for COVID-19 while on board, after which their disembarkation process began.
The seafarers, in a video message thereafter had thanked the Central and Goa governments for ensuring their safe return to Goa.
