Relief For Stranded Workers, Pilgrims, Students: MHA Allows Their Inter-State Travel

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday issued orders allowing inter-state travel for stranded migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists and students.

The MHA, in its order, stated that all these travellers should be screened at source and destination points and should be kept under quarantine.

All states and Union Territories have been asked to designate nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for receiving and sending such stranded persons. The nodal authorities shall also register details of the stranded persons.

The MHA order states that in case a group of stranded persons wishes to move between one State/UT to another State/UT, the sending and receiving states may consult each other and mutually agree to the movement by road. Buses shall be used for the transport of groups of persons. The buses should be sanitized and there should be safe social distancing norms enforced while providing the seating for them.

The states/UTs falling on the transit route should allow the passage of such persons to the receiving states/UTs, the order said.

The persons travelling will be screened at the leaving point and only those who are found asymptomatic for COVID-19 would be allowed.

On arrival at their destination, they will be assessed by the local health authorities and kept in home quarantine unless the assessment requires keeping the person in institutional quarantine. They would be kept under watch with periodic health check-ups, the order read.

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