New Delhi: Stranded Indians who will be brought back by special flights from abroad will have to download ‘Aarogya Setu’ mobile app. Detailed procedures for this entire evacuation operation will be issued, a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) official said Tuesday.
Punya Salila Srivastava, a joint secretary in the Union Home Ministry, also said the Indian Railways has run 62 special trains for stranded domestic workers till now that carried an estimated 70,000 people. Thirteen more such trains are expected to run Tuesday, she told reporters during a daily briefing on the lockdown measures.
Talking about the evacuation plan for Indians stranded abroad, Srivastava said embassies in various countries are preparing the list. This (evacuation by air or naval vessels) facility will be on payment basis, informed Punya Salila Srivastava. Non-scheduled commercial flights are being arranged and this operation will begin May 7 in a phased manner.
“Passengers will be screened before boarding a flight. Only asymptomatic travellers will be allowed. Every passenger will have to follow the guidelines issued by the Health and Civil Aviation Ministries,” said Srivastava.
“Travellers will have to register for ‘Aarogya Setu’ app upon reaching their destination. They will be tested medically and concerned state governments will keep them in hospitals or in institutional quarantine on payment basis,” added Srivastva.
State governments are being advised to prepare for testing and quarantine of such passengers and their transportation. The Ministry of External Affairs and Civil Aviation Ministry will issue details in this context, the officer informed.
Srivastava also reiterated the national directives that are required to be followed during the ongoing lockdown period.
In public places it is mandatory to wear face masks, keep ‘do gaz ki doori’ (a distance of two feet), said Srivastava. She also said spitting is punishable offence and, consumption of liquor, ‘paan’ and tobbaco is prohibited. Social distancing is essential at shops and not more than five people should assemble at any such facility, she said.
During a wedding function, not more than 50 people are allowed and not more than 20 people can participate in a funeral. Social distancing should be ensured during these events too, she said.
PTI
