Bahrain: Over 100,000 Keralites left Kingdom during pandemic

Dubai: More than 100,000 expats from the South Indian state of Kerala left Bahrain during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study conducted by a leading economist, local media reported.

Titled ‘COVID-19 Pandemic and Exodus of Keralite Migrant Workers from the Gulf’, the study was conducted by Indian economist and social scientist Dr B A Prakash.

According to the study, more than 1,471,000 Indians left Gulf countries during the pandemic period. The vast majority of those who left GCC states were from Saudi Arabia (50 per cent), followed by the UAE (19 per cent), Qatar (11 per cent), Oman and Bahrain (7 per cent) and Kuwait (6 per cent).

The study revealed that most returnees had worked in Gulf countries for more than ten years and they were forced to return to Kerala due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were unsure of returning to the countries in which they worked.