More than a month after the countrywide lockdown owing to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued guidelines to allow inter-State movement of stranded migrant workers, tourists, pilgrims, students and others.
Public transport, including trains and buses, continue to remain suspended and the State governments have been asked to appoint nodal authorities to register such stranded persons and facilitate their movement.
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The MHA said such persons should be kept in home quarantine for 14 days unless an assessment by a medical team recommended institutional quarantine.
For individuals who wanted to travel in their private cars, permission should be taken from the State authorities, an official said. “If someone has to cross multiple States to reach their destination, then the State authority where the travel will originate, will coordinate with the respective State authorities and issue a pass accordingly,” a senior Home Ministry official stated.
The BJP ruled Uttar Pradesh was one of the first States to arrange for the return of stranded migrant workers to return to their homes.
The guidelines issued by the MHA on April 19 asserted that there would be no inter-State movement of labourers. Following U.P., Stat