The Bengal government has decided to increase vigil at railway stations and entry points in border districts amid apprehensions that migrant workers will return from Maharashtra, Delhi and Kerala, where Covid-19 cases have increased alarmingly in the last few days.
The authorities of the border districts have been asked to intercept the returnee migrants, conduct tests and treat them if found positive.
“Some restrictions like wearing masks and sanitisation have already been put in place by the railway authorities, but we need to start screening of passengers coming from states with high Covid caseload. We also need to ensure testing facilities for the returnees and lead them to quarantine centres or safe homes in the coming days to contain the spread of the virus,” said a senior health department.