Indian expat falls asleep at Dubai airport, now stranded

Dubai, March 24 (IANS) A United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Indian expat was now stranded at the Dubai airport after he fell asleep while waiting for his flight back home, a media report said.Arun Singh, 37, originally from Pune, who works at a bank here, had passed immigration and security and was due to board the 4 a.m. Emirates flight to Ahmedabad on March 22, when he fell asleep in the waiting area and missed the final boarding call by a few minutes, the Gulf News report said on Monday.The UAE has since suspended flights and has also refused entry to residency visa holders as a preventive against the spread of the novel coronavirus which has infected 198 people and killed two others in the country.Due to the restrictions, Singh isn't allowed to re-enter through arrivals to exit the airport."It was an honest mistake," Singh told Gulf News. "I just fell asleep as I'm so stressed. I'm getting a divorce so I was flying back to India to file it."Initially I was allowed back into the arrivals immigration hall but then they said entry was only for GCC( Gulf Cooperation Council) nationals. I explained to them that I had fallen asleep and that it was an accident."I've rung the Indian consulate but they don't have any information, in fact they are asking me for updates and information that I don't have."I can shower and the shops are open so I can buy food and I will need to buy some clothes because my luggage is not with me. Things are available, but they say after Wednesday everything will close in the airport, so I don't know what will happen then."
--IANS ksk/