Centre turns down Chandigarh’s request to quarantine foreign returnees at home

The central government has declined UT’s request to allow people returning from abroad to quarantine themselves at home instead of hotels.

The UT administration was of the view that home quarantining foreign returnees was possible in Chandigarh since residents here were mostly well educated and houses were large enough to allow self-isolation protocols.

Several residents had also approached the administration to allow home quarantining of their family members, rather than forcing them to stay in hotels, citing a higher risk of infection there.

But, UT adviser Manoj Parida said, the Centre was not ready to accept UT’s request, which had also come in from various states.

“Quarantining in hotels is the only option now as per the existing policy. We will make changes in case Centre amends its policy in the future,” he said.

Ward number 1 councillor Mahesh Inder Singh Sidhu said there needed to be a more liberal approach. “All foreign returnees, who have been clinically declared negative, should be allowed to go home in a week’s time rather than keeping them at hotels for 14 days,” he said.

Sector-8 resident Jaspreet Singh, who is waiting for his daughter’s return, said Punjab had already allowed quarantining of foreign returnees at home after an undertaking from parents. “UT should follow suit, since parents here are already willing to abide by any undertaking or protocols,” he said.

PRIORITY LODGING OF RETURNEES IN MOUNTVIEW DONE AWAY: UT TO HC

The UT administration on Monday informed the Punjab and Haryana high court that the decision to lodge the returnees on priority basis in Hotel Mountview had been done away with.

It said the administration had shortlisted four private hotels, apart from the two government hotels - Mountview and Shivalikview, who were willing to accommodate air passengers for 14 days of quarantine.

“In the new standard operating procedure, the choice for the quarantine accommodation is left to the returnees according to their paying capacity,” UT stated, while adding that accommodation in hotel Mountview was costlier compared to other hotels.

It informed the court that returnees who cannot afford expensive hotel accommodation can also opt for Panchayat Bhawan or Panjab University hostels.

UT made these submissions in response to a PIL filed by the Sector 10 Resident Welfare Association, who apprehended the spread of Covid-19 in the sector in case the respondents were permitted to lodge the returnees in Hotel Mountview only.

Disposing of the matter, HC stated that since mandatory requirement of lodging the returnees coming from abroad on priority basis in Hotel Mountview had been done away with, the primary grievance of the petitioner stood redressed.

So far, 13 passengers have reached Chandigarh. While six are lodged in Mountview, the other seven are accommodated in other places.