Aska: Three buses carrying the second batch of Odia migrant workers who were stranded in Surat due to the ongoing lockdown reached this block in Ganjam district at around 2.30am Friday morning. One hundred and eight persons returned to the district.
The district administration was aware about the arrivals. It had set up a quarantine centre at ‘D Paul School’ near Aska College Square locality. All the returnees have been put under quarantine in that centre for 14 days.
The migrants had booked the vehicles on their own to come back to Odisha. The Surat district administration had granted permission for the buses to travel.
A medical team was present at the spot to conduct preliminary health screening of the migrant workers just after their arrival. Officials said that the swab samples of all the 108 will be collected in the next couple of days for carrying out tests. They said that migrant workers will be allowed to return to their respective homes after 14 days and only if the COVID-19 tests are negative.
District Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange, SP Brijesh Kumar and Bhanjanagar Sub-Collector Rajendra Minz had earlier visited the quarantine centre, Thursday evening to inspect the facilities. He also said that family members of the returnees should refrain from visiting the centre for the next 14 days. Strict action would be initiated against anyone violating the order, he added.
PNN