PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar directed officials to bring back all migrants from the state stranded across the country amid the Covid-19 lockdown in next one week and ensure proper quarantine facilities and other assistance for them.
Kumar also asked the officials to provide four masks to each family and free soaps in every panchayat with within at the earliest to break the chain of infection. Reviewing the situation via video conferencing with top officials, including DMs on Monday, Kumar: “Be in constant touch with the railways and complete the task of bringing the migrants and others soon. There should be thorough medical tests on them.”
According to official sources, more than 150 migrants, who have returned by special trains between May 1 and 10, have tested positive, while hundreds of other migrants are still returning to the state every day by more than 10 special trains from across thecountry.
“The positive cases continue unabetted in Bihar with the return of over 1.80 lakh of migrants and others, but the chief minister is determined to bring more people back,” a senior official in the state government said.Principal health secretary Sanjay Kumar said the highest number of 41 migrant workers, returned from the Delhi-NCR, have tested positive for the virus.
Anticipating a huge influx of migrant workers in the next few days, the state government made arranged quarantine facilities for 3.75 lakh people at block levels and 2.42 lakh people at panchayat levels. So far, 1.32 lakh people, including migrants, have been placed under quarantine across the state.