Additions/amendments notified in quarantine rules

June 15, 2020

The Chairman, State Executive Committee (SEC), has ordered few additions and amendments in the orders and regarding quarantine requirements and has directed all the departments and organisations, District Magistrate, Police Officers, officials and local authorities of the State to ensure the directions of the National Disaster Management Authority and the National Executive Committee (NEC).

A spokesperson of the Revenue department and Disaster Management disclosed that as per the amendments, the person covered under SOPs for inter-state movement of industrial workers, industrialists, factory owners, traders, raw material suppliers, service provider, inspecting authorities will be exempted from purview of home quarantine.

The persons visiting the State for bonafide purpose of trade, business, job, project, service purpose, commission agents and arhtiyas with supporting documents and entering the State with valid permit/e-pass and not coming from high COVID-19 case load cities and other containment zones from rest of the country will also be exempted from the purview of quarantine.

He said that the management, incharge or head of any NGO or any charitable organisation, which has branches in the State and travels to the State of Himachal Pradesh in connection with its affairs or for an official meeting, for a short duration not exceeding 48 hours and don’t mix with general masses, follows all social distancing and other COVID-19 prevention protocols/norms, does not organize any social/cultural or any other gathering of any sort, shall be exempt from quarantine requirement in the State.

In addition to the instructions in the original Order, use of Aarogya Setu app shall be mandatory in all cases, including the above exempted categories.

The spokesperson said that all persons coming from high case load COVID-19 infected cities will be institutionally quarantined. Only for exceptional and compelling reasons such as cases of human distress, pregnancy, death in family, serious illness, persons above 65 years of age with co-morbidities and parent(s) accompanied by children below 10 years may be permitted to be home quarantined, instead of institutional quarantine, for 14 days, subject to satisfaction of the concerned District Magistrate about satisfactory arrangements being available for such home quarantine.

The migrant labourers coming in the State can be sent directly to the work site of the orchardist, agriculturist, contractor, project proponents. The labour can start working at these sites immediately subject to observing all the due precautions including social distancing/isolation and the constant monitoring for symptoms, as is being done for quarantined persons. The period of active surveillance shall however continue to be the same as per the period prescribed by the guidelines issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare.