With the domestic flights resuming from Monday and international flights also coming in, the Punjab Government on Monday released its own “revised instructions” for all passengers, domestic as well as international, entering the State via rail, air, and buses.
The State Health and Family Welfare Department on Tuesday issued “revised instructions”, similar to those issued by the Centre, for people coming into Punjab to all Deputy Commissioners and Civil Surgeons, making seven-day mandatory quarantine period for all international travelers.
Notably, the Centre has left it up to the State Governments to decide on quarantining of all passengers entering the State.
The revised guidelines replaced the old ones for domestic and international travellers and offer some new relaxations.
Besides, the Government has also added mandatory usage of its COVA App for all returnees. The instructions have also mentioned that frequent inter-State travellers like MP or MLA, salespersons, doctors, journalists, traders, executives, engineers, and consultants need not be home-quarantined.
“Deputy Commissioners and Sub-Divisional Magistrates will issue passes to such people after they undertake to self-monitor their health and will inform the administration of any symptoms,” read the orders.
As per the revised rules for international travellers, people entering Punjab through airport or seaport or landport will have to hand in a self-declaration with their personal and health details to the State and will be screened at their entry.
“The passengers found to be symptomatic during screening will be taken to a health facility for testing. If they test positive, they would be sent to Covid Care Centres. Asymptomatic passengers and those testing negative could be taken into paid institutional quarantine (Government or hotel quarantine) on payment basis and will have to undergo test on the fifth day,” read the orders.
It added, “If they test negative, they can go home at the end of seven days but will be asked to home quarantine themselves and monitor their own health for a further week. They will have to submit a written undertaking about this to health officials.”
The guidelines stated that those who test positive will be taken to a Government isolation facility. Only under exceptional circumstances, such as pregnancy or death of an immediate family member or severe mental illness, will a Deputy Commissioner allow them to quarantine themselves at home. The State Health Department must be informed of such cases, the guidelines added.
In case of domestic travellers, they will be screened at the State’s entry points and those found to have Covid-19 symptoms will be taken to a health facility for testing. From there, those who test positive will be sent to a Covid Care Centre.
Those found asymptomatic or testing negative will be allowed to go home after submitting an undertaking that they would quarantine themselves for 14 days, monitor their own health and report to the nearest facility if they show any symptoms for Covid-19.
Those test positive but are asymptomatic will be kept in Covid Care Centres provided they are below than 60 years and have no comorbidities.
Those who test positive and need medical supervision (those over 60 or show severe symptoms or have any associated co-morbidity) will be moved to Level II or level III facility depending on their medical condition, stated the revised guidelines.