Coronavirus lockdown: 35,000 migrant workers sent to hometowns so far, says Maharashtra official

Nearly 35,000 migrant labourers in Maharashtra have been sent back to their native places so far since the Centre allowed them to return home by train in the wake of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, a senior state government official said on Monday.

The workers were sent after a medical checkup and all other precautionary measures were being followed to contain the spread of coronavirus, the official told reporters here.

"So far, we have sent 35,000 migrant labourers back to their native states. We are sending more people after checking. Every labourer has to undergo a primary medical checkup before being eligible to travel," he said.

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The Maharashtra government is in touch with other states before planning to send back the migrant labourers to their native places, he said.

"We are taking all precautions before allowing the migrant labourers to board trains. It is difficult for us to detect those who are infected by coronavirus but are asymptomatic. We can't do anything more than their primary health checkup," the official said.

Asked about private vehicles being allowed to transport migrant labourers to their respective states, he said, Except Rajasthan, no other state has shown willingness to allow migrant labourers to travel by bus and private vehicles."