The deputy consul general of Germany in Calcutta, Jurgen Thomas Schrod, is stranded in the Philippines with his family.

The diplomat tried to board a flight to Calcutta on Tuesday but was refused in the light of the midday travel advisory issued by India’s aviation regulator directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) banning entry of passengers from Afghanistan, the Philippines and Malaysia till March 31.

Schrod had travelled to the Philippines, where he had earlier been posted, to meet friends two weeks ago. “We were supposed to fly back on March 21. But this morning, the Philippines President declared a nationwide ‘state of calamity’ for the next six months. There will be a ban on flights leaving the country from March 19. So, we rebooked our tickets on a Thai Airways flight to Calcutta via Bangkok and rushed to the airport today,” he told Metro over the phone.

On reaching the Manila airport, Schrod was told he would not be allowed on board. “It was a nerve-wracking day for us. It was an equally sad moment to see Indians at the counter being refused entry back to their homeland.”

India is considering sending a flight to Philippines to evacuate those stranded there.

Manila has already been put under community quarantine. “Shops are shut, transport is off the streets, supermarkets are open but the shelves are rapidly emptying out. People are panicking and buying everything. Only pharmacies are still open and stocked. It is a really scary situation here.”

Schrod is in touch with the German embassy in Manila and will meet the Indian ambassador to the Philippines on Wednesday. “Thankfully, the embassy is close to the hotel, so I can walk. There are no taxis plying,” he said.