Migrants from Delhi reach their native area during a nationwide lockdown, imposed in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in Lucknow. (PTI)
NEW DELHI: The Centre has rapidly expanded Covid-19 surveillance to track thousands of migrant labourers going out of cities, particularly large ones like Delhi and Mumbai, to keep an eye on incidence of the disease in villages and districts where these workers are headed.
Throngs of people walking along highways set off fresh concern in the government, leading to the National Centre for Disease Control setting up mechanisms to follow the migrant paths. It has identified districts and villages where a significant number of people are arriving in states like UP, Bihar and Rajasthan (among others) and tagged them as “high risk”.
The quick shift in strategy was needed as officials monitoring the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) were taken aback by the numbers setting off on treks despite the nationwide lockdown. The situation was seen