People Stranded in Lockdown can Return Home, Union Home Ministry Issues Orders with Some Basic Condition

New Delhi : The Union Home Ministry on Wednesday issued an order allowing the movement of migrant workers, tourists, students, etc. stranded at various places across the country amid lockdown implemented to control the coronavirus. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the stranded people will be transferred from one state to another state / union territory after consulting each other and mutually agreed upon by the respective states.

In a circular, the Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the state governments to appoint nodal officers to facilitate the movement of people between states. The order states that all those wishing to return will be screened first and will be allowed to return only if they do not have corona symptoms.

GoI issues order to State/UTs to facilitate Inter-State mvmt of stranded people inc. #MigrantLabourers, in the country.
All persons to be medically screened at source & destination; & kept in home/institutional quarantine on arrival, as per @MoHFW_INDIA guidelines.#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/4zfztwB2NA

— Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) April 29, 2020

“All states / UTs should nominate nodal officers and develop standard protocols for the arrival and departure of such stranded persons,” the order wrote. It has been emphasized that upon arriving at their destination such people should be evaluated by the local health authorities and kept in the home quarantine unless the person is required to be placed in the Institutional Quarantine for assessment.

In addition, they should be kept with health check-ups from time to time. For this purpose, States / UTs have been requested to encourage such individuals to use the Arogya Setu App through which their health status can be monitored and if required, can be tracked.