Address by the High Commissioner of , (Retd.) to the Indian citizens in Seychelles.

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Dear fellow Indian citizens in Seychelles,

Namaste!

We are going through one of the most difficult phases faced by the humanity in recent decades. The entire world is struggling to fight the global pandemic of COVID-19.

To fight this, several measures have been taken by the including bans on commercial flights and a temporary lockdown of non-essential movement of people and goods within India. India, today, successfully completes 2 weeks in lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 epidemic.

Department of Health, Government of Seychelles has also announced new measures today that put further restrictions on movement within the country and additional restrictions on economic and commercial activities of non-essential nature. These measures will come into effect from midnight today.

These are unprecedented times presenting unforeseen challenges to us individually and collectively. I request all my fellow Indian citizens to maintain calm and peace and follow the measures being put in place by the concerned Seychelles’ authorities. I would like to assure that the High Commission of India in Seychelles is with each and every individual Indian citizen in Seychelles currently in these difficult times.

The well-being of over 10000 Indian workers working in Seychelles is the primary area of focus for us. We are in regular contact with the relevant authorities, industry organisations and various individual businesses to ensure the well-being of our fellow Indian workers.

High Commission of India is regularly putting out relevant information about the COVID-19 situation on its social media pages: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as on its website. I request you to follow these for regular updates. Indian citizens can reach out to the High Commission of India for any emergency on our 24*7 emergency hotline number +248 2815 777 or email id [email protected] .

High Commission of India is also working with the Government of Seychelles on various measures to contain the spread of epidemic in Seychelles and assure supply of medicines and essential food items. I would like to once again request my fellow Indian citizens to stay safe and maintain social distancing norms and hygiene measures as instructed by the healthcare agencies. I am sure we will prevail and emerge victorious in our fight against this global epidemic.

Jai Hind