No quarantine if coming to Punjab for less than 72 hrs

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government has exempted those coming to the state for less than 72 hours from the mandatory home quarantine. They will only need to submit a formal undertaking at the border check post. The chief minister announced this relaxation for travellers.

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government has exempted those coming to the state for less than 72 hours from the mandatory home quarantine. They will only need to submit a formal undertaking at the border check post.

Announcing this relaxation for inbound domestic travellers, chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said the concession has been given to facilitate students wishing to come for examinations or business travellers etc, whose stay in the state is less than 72 hours from the time of their arrival. The 14-day mandatory home quarantine requirement remains in place for domestic inbound travellers in Punjab, though.

The exempt travellers will need to submit a formal undertaking with the officer in-charge (OIC) of the check post in a standard format provided on COVA app. Besides entering their details in the app’s travellers’ information section, these persons will have to undertake that the COVA app will remain active throughout their period of stay in Punjab.

The CM said additional SOPs for such travellers require them to submit that they are not coming from any containment zone and undertake not to stay for more than 72 hours in Punjab from the time of arrival in the state. During this period, they will commit to monitoring their health and maintaining distance from those around, and also interact with the assigned surveillance team in case they suffer from any symptoms consistent with Covid-19 and will immediately call 104.

If within a week of return any such person is tested positive then he/she will have to immediately contact the Punjab government at 104 and assist them in contact tracing. While the centre had recently waived the requirement of home quarantine for domestic travellers and replaced the same with self-monitoring, Amarinder has made it clear that quarantine restrictions will continue to remain in place in Punjab on account of rising numbers.