New Delhi: The union home ministry has come out with a fresh set of guidelines listing out standard operative procedure for interstate movement facilitating the return of the migrant workers, students, tourists and pilgrims stranded to their home.
“All States to designate nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for receiving and sending such stranded persons. Stranded migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students will be allowed to move with conditions during the lockdown,” said the the MHA order.
‘Anyone willing to be transported back home will have to be medically screened at source as well as destination and will be kept in a home or institutional quarantine on arrival.”
Transportation of such individuals will be done via buses, as train or flight services are currently unavailable for passengers. The buses shall be sanitised and the authorities will follow protocols of social distancing while seating passengers in the vehicle, said the MHA order.
While the States receiving and sending such travelers must consult on the action plan, the states or UTs on the transit route will allow passage to the buses.
“On arrival of their destination such persons would be assessed by the local health authority and kept in home quarantine unless the assessment requires keeping the persons in institutional quarantine.”
After arrival, the passengers will be kept under watch with periodic health checkups.
The government may ask them to install the Arogya Setu app to help the government track their health status.
This comes in the wake of demand from Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik for a national SOP for return of the stranded migrant workers, students, professionals, and tourists in the recent PM-CM meeting.
