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Bhubaneswar: About 1,200 Odisha migrant workers, who are stranded in Kerala, boarded one of half a dozen point-to-point Shramik special trains, operated by Indian Railways, on Friday night as the first group of workers will arrive in the state before the nationwide blockade restrictions in place, which have been imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease pandemic (Covid-19), ends on May 3.
The Shramik special train carrying 1,200 migrant workers from Odisha has started from the Aluva train station in Kerala at 6 pm on Friday. The 24-bogey train would run non-stop for 1,836 kilometers, ”said Asit Tripathy, chief secretary, Odisha. “Those who come on this train have paid the base fare of Rs 430. It is mandatory for each passenger to wear a mask. The rule of social distancing and hygiene are strictly applied during the trip,” added Tripathy.
Shramik’s special trains are the initiative of the central government to move stranded migrant workers, students, pilgrims, tourists and others from different parts of the country amid ongoing closure restrictions.
In the past two days, 325 migrant workers from Gujarat Surat have arrived in the Ganjam district of Odisha on seven buses. Another 70 students, stranded at Rajasthan’s Kota, the country’s training center for medical and engineering aspirants, went to Odisha on a special bus, while 1,000 more are on the way home.
The influx of people to the state comes in the middle of Odisha reporting 149 positive cases of Covid-19, and half of them had a history of travel to critical points in neighboring West Bengal. Currently, there are 93 active cases of Covid-19 in the state and one person has died so far.
On Friday, two new positive cases of Covid-19 were reported from the Bolangir State District and both infected people had a history of travel to Tamil Nadu, another access point.
The state government is halting another wave of positive Covid-19 cases, as it prepares for the influx of odd six-lakh migrant workers.
In early April, Odisha faced a similar challenge after a section of followers of the Islamic Tablighi Jamaat sect, who had attended the international congregation held at Nizamuddin in New Delhi between March 13-15, returned home, which led to the first wave. of positive cases of Covid-19 in the state.
Jamaat attendees have proven to be super-spreaders of SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, across the country.
The chief secretary said adequate precautions were taken to prevent the spread of the infection, as the state prepares for the influx of migrant workers. Each of the 1,200 people was screened before boarding the train and only those who were asymptomatic could travel, he said.
The Odisha government has also asked its counterparts to share the medical records of each and every person entering the state through 11 designed checkpoints.
State health department officials said that after rural migrant workers return home, they would have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine in 7,000 makeshift medical facilities, which are equipped with 2.6 lakh beds. The state government would allow home quarantine for transgender, pregnant women, or people with physical and mental disabilities.
Migrant workers from urban areas would also be allowed to remain in quarantine in their homes unless they themselves insist on remaining in official quarantine facilities. The state has around 40,000 quarantine beds in urban areas.
“We also allow paid quarantine facilities at designated hotels and shelters,” said the chief secretary.
“People staying at home or official quarantines would receive an indelible ink mark on their right hand mentioning their entry date to be used to calculate the quarantine period. Your swab samples will be tested and none of them will be able to return to their respective homes during the quarantine period. Furthermore, none of their family members will be able to join them. Each person would earn Rs 2,000 at the end of the quarantine period, ”he added.
