Britain thanks Kerala for all support extended during repatriation of tourists

British deputy high commissioner Jeremy Pilmore-Bedford has thanked the Kerala government for the assistance and support given for the repatriation of British nationals who were stranded in Kerala due to the coronavirus crisis.

The relief flight was a complicated one and involved the aircraft first landing to pick up passengers in Thiruvananthapuram before flying to Kochi to pick up a larger group from there. “We also moved large numbers of passengers to the airports from various locations from across Kerala as well as from locations in Tamil Nadu close to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram,” Bedford said in a letter to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

“I would particularly like to underline the support that we received from Raj Kumar (Regional Joint Director) Department of Tourism, ACK Nair Director and Dinesh Kumar, Assistant Director, Kochi International Airport and C.V. Ravindran, Airport Director at Trivandrum International Airport,” he stated in a letter to the chief minister.

“I spoke to Brian Lockwood and his wife who had been hospitalised at the Government Hospital in Ernakulam. They were both full of praise for the excellent treatment that they had received from the medical staff there and were very grateful for all of their hard work,” the deputy high commissioner said.

“I look forward to meeting you again when this crisis is over and continue to build strong relations between the United Kingdom and Kerala,” he stated.