Rajasthan issues SOP for evacuation of 8,500 people stranded abroad
People from Rajasthan are expected to land in five airports in the state besides Delhi and Ahmedabad and the seaports of Chennai and Kochi.
The Rajasthan government has issued a standard operating protocol (SOP) for around 8,500 people from the state arriving from overseas mandating 14 days of home or institutional quarantine amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many residents of Rajasthan who had travelled to different countries before the lockdown, have been stranded abroad. They are to be evacuated in the second phase of the Vande Bharat mission beginning on May 16.
In order to facilitate their return, the Centre is bringing them back by non-scheduled commercial flights and naval ships. It is estimated that about 8,500 people of Rajasthan are likely to be brought from overseas.
The passengers are expected to arrive at five airports – Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan besides Delhi and Ahmadabad airports and seaports at Kochi and Chennai.
According to the SOP signed by additional chief secretary Subodh Agarwal, the passengers arriving at state airports should get a health check-up. They should also decide on the choice of paid institutional quarantine. All will need to be quarantined for minimum period of 14 days on paid (institutional) basis.
Passengers have to download Arogya Setu and RajCovidInfo mobile application. People with influenza like illness or ILI symptoms should be taken to medical facility, the SOP said.
Under the SOP, passengers arriving at airports near in Delhi and Ahmedabad the local governments will carry out health checks and institutional quarantine. In case they do not, than state buses will carry asymptomatic passengers landing in Delhi to Alwar Delhi while those landing in Ahmedabad will be taken to Udaipur.
Passengers arriving at seaports far away from Rajasthan will undergo health check-up and quarantine by the respective states.