Delhi govt releases details of transit arrangements for foreigners & quarantined people

On Monday, the Delhi government released details of the transit arrangements of stranded foreigners and quarantined persons who are ready for release. This pertains to an order issued by Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev under the DDMA Act 2005 on April 3. According to a press release, the Delhi government laid down Standard Operating Procedures in this regard after concerns were raised by individuals, organizations and foreign embassies. Incidentally, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a similar SOP regarding the transit arrangements of stranded foreigners and quarantined persons who test negative for COVID-19 on April 2. 

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Guidelines for transit arrangements

The first aspect of the protocol to be followed in case of evacuating a foreign national is that the chartered flight will have to be arranged by the respective foreign government in consultation with the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Moreover, only asymptomatic foreign nationals shall be allowed to leave the country. The local transportation arrangements from the place of stay to the point of embarkation would be the responsibility of the local Embassy of the respective foreign government. However, the transit pass for the vehicle in which the foreigner is travelling will be issued by the respective District Magistrate. 

Meanwhile, the people who leave the quarantine facility are expected to make their own travel arrangements. The transit pass issued by the District Magistrate for the movement of such persons will specify a fixed route and validity. Furthermore, they have to home quarantine themselves for a period of 14 days even after reaching their destination as per the standard protocol. As per the Delhi government, 374 of the 3593 quarantined people have completed the 14-day quarantine period. It added that 102 out of the 219 quarantined individuals who tested negative for COVID-19 had been discharged. A total of 101 transit passes had been issued in this connection. 

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The novel coronavirus crisis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a complete lockdown in the country until April 14 to tackle the challenge posed by the COVID-19 crisis. Currently, there are 4281 confirmed novel coronavirus cases in India out of which 319 people have recovered while 111 individuals have lost their lives. On April 5, people across the country heeded PM Modi's appeal and lit a lamp, candle or torchlight to express solidarity with fellow citizens and to vanquish the darkness caused by the novel coronavirus. Apart from the PM's Cabinet colleagues, multiple Chief Ministers including Pinarayi Vijayan, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy participated in this initiative. 

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