Mandatory weeklong quarantine for returning migrant workers

The state government on Wednesday made it compulsory for returning migrant workers to be under institutional quarantine for a week before they are allowed to go home with a negative test report.

As per the new direction, all migrant workers returning from other parts of the country will have to undergo Rapid Antigen Test, and will have to stay in quarantine for seven days even if they test negative, the order issued by chief secretary Sukhdev Singh said. “Those who test positive will be treated as per Covid-19 protocol,” the order said.

The migrant workers will be tested again before their departure from the quarantine centre, the order further stated.

The decision was taken in view of the rising number of cases in district towns and villages. The order observed that there was an exponential increase in Covid-19 cases in the state during the last fortnight. It was anticipated that the large-scale inflow of migrants back to their respective villages might pose a considerable threat in spread of the disease in rural areas, it said.