In the wake of prospective relaxations in movement of domestic flights, trains and buses, Punjab has mandated a compulsory home quarantine for anybody entering the state.
Expecting a huge influx of residents stranded across the country during the lockdown, the state, which has been battling increasing COVID-19 numbers owing to NRI's and Nanded returnees, is taking extra caution. Issuing the orders, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said, “It took a lot of hard work and effort to achieve recovery rate of 90 per cent, highest in the county and no complacency would be tolerated”. According to the SOPs released by the government, all those entering the state would be screened at all state and district border entry points, as well as railway stations and airports. Those having influenza-like symptoms would be sent into institutional quarantine, while the others would have to undergo mandatory two-week home quarantine.
Rapid testing teams would check on the home-quarantined persons while those found symptomatic would have to undergo thorough testing in hospitals and isolation centres. “Government would not rely on any certificates of testing from any part of the country or the world. We have learnt our lesson the bitter way with experience with those who came from Maharashtra and Rajasthan, as well as the more recent case of Dubai. These people carried medical certificates showing them negative while all all them have tested positive here. We will do our own tests and take our own precautions. I will not let this infection spread any further in Punjab,” Singh said.
States expects 20,000 more to return from abroad, while 60,000 are expected from other states.
