Jammu, April 30: Jammu and Kashmir has advised residents struck outside of the UT due to COVID-19 pandemic, especially labourers and students, not to move without the consent of the administration and all “unregulated arrivals will be quarantined for 21 days at Lakhanpur (Kathua)” the entry point of J&K.
“Administration will shortly issue detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) to facilitate organised movement of students, labourers,” tweeted Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary, Planning and Information.
Following a communication from the Ministry of Home Affairs, wherein the states have been asked to facilitate the return of stranded migrant workers, students and residents who are struck due to nationwide lockdown since March 23, the UT administration is considering a massive evacuation process.
According to officials, evacuation will be conducted in phased manner and designated teams headed by senior police and administrative officials will be appointed to receive evacuated persons in each district and ensure transport of the UT residents from other states.
As per the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) advisory, all states and UTs have been directed to designate nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for receiving and sending such stranded persons.
All arrivals have to be screened and those found asymptomatic would be allowed to proceed.
MHA advisory says that on arrival at their destination such persons would be assessed by the local health authorities and kept in home quarantine, unless the assessment requires keeping the person(s) in institutional quarantine.
They would be kept under watch with periodic health check-ups, it added.
