Bengal set to screen & quarantine migrants ... State government officials said that the first train with stranded people in Rajasthan would reach the state on Tuesday

Pranesh Sarkar, TT, 5.05.20, Calcutta: The Bengal government on Monday said elaborate arrangements were being made for nearly 2.5 lakh migrant workers who would be coming to the state over the next few days at various entry points to ensure that all symptomatic persons were taken to quarantine centres.

“Detailed instructions have already been sent to the district magistrates and police superintendents who were asked to make required arrangements in their respective areas,” state health secretary Vivek Kumar said.

If workers return by trains, the railway station, where they would get down, would be the entry point and in case of buses, the entry point would be the place where the bus stops after entering Bengal. The place would be selected as per the facilities available, but it would not be far away from the bordering areas.

According to the plan, the workers would be taken to a nearby set-up where each of them would be screened medically. Once the health screening is done, all asymptomatic persons would be sent to home quarantine after they are explained the dos and don’ts during the isolation period.

“We will give them a leaflet making it clear what they have to do and what they can’t do,” said Kumar.

All the asymptomatic persons would be given a pouch of Hydroxychloroquine — an anti-malaria drug approved by the ICMR for the front line health workers dealing with Covid-19 cases — with clear instruction on doses.

In case of symptomatic persons, throat swab would be collected at the screening counter and they would be taken either to the quarantine centres or isolation wards of hospitals.

The state, sources said, can make such an elaborate arrangement for limited number of persons at a time. “If there is a rush of migrant labourers, it is not possible for the administration to take them through the system that has been planned,” said an official.

State government officials said that the first train with stranded people in Rajasthan would reach the state on Tuesday and another train from Cochin in Kerala would reach on Wednesday.

Chief secretary Rajiva Sinha laid stress on return of stranded people in phases. “There is a protocol that the chief secretary of a state would talk to the chief secretary of the state where the workers would be sent. But workers are being sent without consulting the state.”

“We have asked other states to consult us before sending people to our state as we have to make parallel arrangements here,” said Sinha.

Sources at Nabanna said the state government had started a helpline, a website and an app to receive applications from stranded people.

“We would send the details of the applicants to the states concerned. We expect similar approach from other states so that we can get every details of the people who would come in,” said an official.

Stranded people would come in buses from states like Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and Sikkim in next few days.

“Altogether 15,000 to 20,000 people would come in next couple of days. All required arrangements have been made for them. We can accommodate more people once this phase is over,” said an official.