Centre Allows Inter-State Movement Of Stranded Migrant Workers

The Centre on Wednesday allowed the inter-state movement of migrant workers, students, pilgrims, tourists, and other persons left stranded by the lockdown to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in its revised guidelines said: "All States/Union Territories should designate nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for receiving and sending such stranded persons". The nodal authorities shall also register the stranded people within their States/UTs, it said.

“In case a group of stranded persons wish to move between one State/UT and another State/UT, the sending and receiving States may consult each other and mutually agree to the movement by road,” the guidelines said.

The moving person would be screened and those found asymptomatic would be allowed to proceed and buses shall be used for the transport of group of persons.

“The buses will be sanitised and shall follow safe social distancing norms in seating,” it said.

The States/UTs falling on the transit route will allow the passage of such persons to the receiving State/UT.

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

“On arrival at their destination, such person(s) would be assessed by the local health authorities, and kept in home quarantine unless the assessment requires keeping the person(s) in institutional quarantine. They would be kept under watch with periodic health check-ups, it said.

Meanwhile, Punjab has extended the curfew by two weeks till May 17 and announced lockdown relaxations from 7 am to 11 am every day. The extension comes ahead of the May 3 deadline when the current lockdown was scheduled to end.

#COVIDー19 #ExtendTheLockdown #ExtendLockdown #punjab #CoronavirusIndia #LockdownEasedRegulations pic.twitter.com/WaqrvhzocS

— GoNewsIndia (@GoNews_India) April 29, 2020

India COVID-19 cases have mounted to 31,787 and death toll is at 1,008, according to the Health Ministry evening update. Over the past 24 hours, 1,813 new cases and 71 deaths were reported.