Quarantine those who violate coronavirus norms: Centre to states

Describing the scrambling of thousands of migrant workers to leave cities as a "violation", the Centre on Sunday issued fresh directions to states to keep people, who violated COVID-19 lockdown norms by travelling, in a government quarantine facility for at least 14 days, while ensuring that there is "no movement of people across cities or on highways".

District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police have also been made "personally responsible" for the implementation of the 21-day lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from March 25.

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While the government acknowledged that "by and large" the lockdown has been effectively implemented across the country, an official statement said, there has been a movement of migrant workers in some parts of the country.

"Directions were issued that district and state borders should be effectively sealed. States were directed to ensure there is no movement of people across cities or on highways. Only the movement of goods should be allowed. Those who have violated the lockdown and travelled during the period of lockdown will be subject to a minimum 14 days of quarantine in government quarantine facilities. Detailed instructions on monitoring of such persons during quarantine have been issued to states," it said.

In the fresh order issued to states on Sunday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the movement of a large number of migrants have taken place in some parts of the country and it was a "violation of the lockdown measures on maintaining social distance".

"Migrant people, who have moved out to reach their home states/home towns must be kept in the nearest shelter by the respective state/Union Territory government quarantine facilities after proper screening for a minimum period of 14 days as per standard health protocol," the order said.

The fresh directions came a day after thousands of migrant workers on Friday left Delhi for their homes in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh with visuals showing people thronging Anand Vihar bus terminal and Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border in large number, throwing caution to the wind and defeating the very purpose of social distancing propagated to contain the spread of COVID-19. It also came a day after the MHA issued directions to states to set up relief camps on highways to provide food and shelter to migrant labourers on way to their home states.

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, who is in constant touch with MHA top officials and Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police of states, has held video conferences with Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and top officials of the states on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

In its order, the MHA asked states to take additional measures to ensure adequate arrangements for shelter and provision of food for the poor and needy people, including migrant labourers at the place of their work. States have also been asked to ensure timely payment of wages to labourers during the period of lockdown without any deduction.

"House rent should not be demanded from the labourers for a period of one month. Action should be taken against those who are asking labourers or students to vacate the premises," the states have been told.

Activists, politicians and academicians have been warning the government about the migrant workers' problem and demanding to weave a social security net around them during the lockdown, as they were out of jobs in cities, to ensure containment of COVID-19.