Hotels refusing to refund excess money to quarantined Indians; MHA intervenes

Some hotels providing quarantine facilities for returning Indians from abroad are refusing to refund excess amount taken from them, prompting the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to ask state governments to ensure that people are not fleeced.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Tuesday shot off letters to state Chief Secretaries following reports that hotels were taking 14 days advance room charges but refuse to refund balance amount once a person vacates the facility after seven days following government guidelines.

According to the revised guidelines issued by Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, stranded Indians arriving in special repatriation flights will have to undergo seven days institutional quarantine followed by seven days home quarantine after a medical assessment.

Bhalla said it has been brought to the notice of the Ministry that Indian nationals who quarantined in hotels after their return from abroad were made to pay advance for 14 days. 
"Since they can now leave for home quarantine after seven days, the amount paid by them for the remaining seven days needs to be refunded to them, which some hotels are refusing to refund," Bhalla said.

He asked states to issue necessary directions to hotels used for institutional quarantine to ensure that foreign returnees who were quarantined in hotels and paid an advance for 14 days should be refunded their balance amount "without any delay".

State governments have arranged hotels to enable returning people paid quarantine facilities in hotels. The room charges start from Rs 700 per day depending on the facilities provided by hotels.