Rajasthan: Migrant influx raises virus cases, govt fears spread in rural areas

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government and health authorities are on the edge fearing a spike in coronavirus cases as lakhs of migrants return from some of the worst-hit Covid19 states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.

So far, 177 migrants have tested positive in the state, health department data shows.

The highest number of positive cases among migrants has come in from Pali district with 32 positive cases reported. Rajsamand has the second highest number of cases (25), followed by Ajmer with 19, Sirohi with 14, Jalore with 12, Churu with 11 and Dungarpur with 10 cases.

The already stretched local administrations are struggling to cope with the influx of migrants and to contain spread of the virus to rural areas where most of them are headed. To deal with the rush of migrants, the state government has sealed the state's borders to regulate entry and made 14-day quarantine mandatory.

Around 19 lakh migrants have registered with the government, of which around 13 lakh have registered to return to Rajasthan.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has acknowledged that preventing the spread of the virus in rural areas as migrants return will be the next big challenge for the government.

State health minister Raghu Sharma sounded a note of caution on Wednesday saying that the return of the migrants presents a challenge and the government's priority is quarantine. “The total focus of the health department is now on strengthening quarantine facilities. The migrants are welcome but they have to undergo the 14-day quarantine period compulsorily so that people in the state who have been in lockdown since 50 days and kept themselves safe, do not get infected,” he said.

Sharma urged the local representatives to ensure that adequate quarantine facilities are developed in their respective areas. He said that migrants can opt for quarantine in a government facility or at their homes.