Coronavirus: Another 14-day home quarantine for Indians who returned from abroad

Indian nationals who were sent to government quarantine centres after their return from abroad will be released from these centres after testing negative for COVID-19 but will have to undergo home quarantine for another 14 days.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued guidelines on the release of such persons who landed in India after February 15 and have completed the mandatory 14-day quarantine as well as foreign nationals who are stranded due to the 21-day lockdown.

As per protocol, Indian nationals will be released after their 14-day quarantine period and testing negative but this will not apply to those who came in a group even when one person tests positive.

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"As a measure of abundant caution, upon returning to their destination, such persons would home quarantine themselves for a further period of 14 days as per standard protocol on the matter," the new addition to the guidelines said.

The details of the persons released from quarantine, along with their destination, will be shared with the concerned states and union territories for follow up.

The guidelines said these persons are expected to return to their homes, or to the homes of their families, relatives, friends or to other places of shelter like hotels by "making their own transport arrangements".

The transit pass for movement of vehicles being used by such persons would be issued by the state government where they have been quarantined. The transit pass will be issued for fixed-route and specified validity.

After it came to light that several foreign nationals are stranded in different parts of the country due to lockdown, the government has also revised guidelines to allow the transporting of those nationals for evacuation by their home countries. Several foreign countries have already approached the Centre in this regard.

As per the guideline, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) will examine the requests on a case to case basis. The concerned country will have to arrange a chartered flight for evacuating their nationals in consultation with the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Before their departure, all foreign nationals will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms and only those who are asymptomatic persons would be allowed to leave. For those who have symptoms, the future course of treatment would be followed as per the standard health protocol.

Once cleared, the local embassy will have to make arrangements for transportation of their nation from his point of stay, for which transit passes will be issued.