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New Delhi, May 24
The government on Sunday issued a new Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) for the return of Indians stranded abroad due to the coronavirus lock, saying that it will be a paid service and preference will be given to people in danger, including those who have lost their jobs, and pregnant women.
A similar SOP was also issued by the government for those who are trapped in India and the desire to travel abroad.
According to the latest SOP, all travellers have to give an undertaking that they would submit to mandatory quarantine for 14 days. It will be seven days of paid institutional quarantine at its own cost, followed by seven days of isolation in his home with self-monitoring of health.
Only for exceptional and compelling reasons, such as the cases of human anxiety, pregnancy, death of a family member, serious illness and the parent(s) accompanied by children under the age of 10 years, according to the evaluation of host countries, home quarantine may be allowed for 14 days and the use of ‘Aarogya respective eras application will be mandatory in such cases, he said.
According to the SOP issued earlier by the ministry of the interior on the 5th of May, the institutional, the quarantine period was 14 days and 14 days was quarantined at home, while ‘Aarogya respective eras application mandatory for all international arrivals.
The fresh SOP said that the states and UTs can also develop their own protocol with respect to quarantine and isolation as for their evaluation.
The government is carrying out a special operation under the name of ‘Vande Bharat Mission” to bring back the stranded Indians from more than 40 countries.
Register with Indian missions
According to the fresh SOP, issued by the Ministry of internal affairs of the Union, those who wish to return to India you will need to register with the Indian missions in the country, along with the necessary particulars as prescribed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
All who arrive from abroad, they will have to follow the guidelines for the quarantine of the agreements issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), the SOP, he said.
According to the Ministry of Health guidelines, to the arrival, thermal screening was carried out in respect of all passengers by the health officials present at the airport, the seaport and landport.
Passengers found to be symptomatic during the investigation will be immediately isolated and taken to the medical center as per health protocol.
The rest of the passengers will be taken appropriate institutional centers of quarantine, to be organized by the respective State and UT governments.
These passengers shall be kept under institutional quarantine for a minimum period of seven days. They will be tested as per icmr protocol. If the test is positive, should be assessed clinically.
If they are assessed as mild cases, they will be allowed to the house of confinement, or isolated on the Covid Center of Attention (both in public and private facilities), as appropriate.
Those who have moderate or severe symptoms will be admitted to dedicated COVID Health centers and managed accordingly.
If it is negative, they should be advised to further isolate themselves at home and self-monitor their health for seven days.
In case, the symptoms develop, you should notify the district surveillance officer or the state/national call centre (1075).
Union home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, said the SOP was issued as many Indians who had traveled to different countries before the national security lock for various purposes, such as employment, studies, internships, tourism or business are stranded abroad.
He said that because of his long stay abroad, they are facing the anguish and the desire to go back. In addition, there are other citizens of India need to visit India due to medical emergencies or death of a family member.
Those who are returning from travel to India for non-scheduled commercial flights as permitted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) and the boats as permitted by the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) and the Ministry of Shipping (MOS).
Only the crew and the staff, who are tested COVID-19 negative, will be authorized to operate these flights and boats.
Based on the registrations received, the MEA shall prepare flight and the ship’s wise database of all passengers including details such as name, age, gender, mobile phone number, place of residence, place of final destination of the information and RT-PCR tests performed and their outcome.
This database will be shared by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), with the respective state and UT in advance.
The MEA show with at least two days in advance, the schedule (day, time and place of arrival) of the entry flight and the ship, in your online digital platform.
All travelers also need to be the commitment that you are making the trip at their own risk.
Passengers arriving through the land borders also have to undergo the same protocol as in the previous, and only those who are asymptomatic will be enabled to cross the border with India.
For those who wish to travel abroad
According to the SOP for the movement of people stranded in India, who wish to travel abroad, such persons shall apply to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), or to any agency designated by MoCA, along with the necessary details, including the places of departure and arrival, as prescribed by MoCA.
People can travel to the countries of destination only if they are citizens of that country or hold a visa of at least one-year duration of that country or are green card or OCI card holder.
In cases of medical emergency or a death in the family, nationals of India holding six months of the visa may also be allowed.
The journey of India will be on the non-scheduled commercial flights that are permitted in MoCA to bring back the stranded Indian nationals from abroad.
Indian seafarers and the crew of the quest of the acceptance of contracts for serving in vessels abroad, you can travel on non-scheduled commercial flights that come out of India under the “Vande Bharat Mission’ or other flights arranged by their employers, subject to the approval given by the Ministry of Transport.
Before that the entries of such persons are confirmed, the MoCA shall ensure that the country of destination allows the input of those people in that country.
The conditions, if any, imposed by the country of destination, they must be fulfilled by the person with the intention of travelling.
The cost of travel, as specified by the carrier, shall be borne by such travelers. — PTI
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