Deserted Golden Temple during ‘Janata curfew’ in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in Amritsar, Sunday, March 22, 2020. (PTI Photo/File) Deserted Golden Temple during ‘Janata curfew’ in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in Amritsar, Sunday, March 22, 2020. (PTI Photo/File)

The Indian Express explains how NRIs who are violating self-quarantine directives are putting health of many state residents at a high-risk.

How many NRIs have come back to Punjab recently?

Punjab government has received a list of nearly 40,000 NRIs from the central government who have come to Punjab in the recent past, including around 23,000 in the Doaba region, which has Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr districts. More than 10,000 NRIs have come in just past one week. Jalandhar got the list of 12,906 NRIs in past two weeks, including another one thousand on Saturday. Hoshiarpur has received a the list of over 2,000 such NRIs, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr till Saturday had 4,605 and 3,700 NRIs, respectively on their lists. It is learnt that in Bolath area of Kapurthala several hundred NRIs have returned from the worse affected areas of Italy.

Daily we are getting the list of 1,000 to 1,500 NRIs in our district for the past couple of days, said Deputy Commissioner, Jalandhar, Varinder Sharma.

What are respective district administrations doing about these lists?

The teams of health and police department have been formed to trace these NRIs as per these lists in their respective villages or towns. Then, they are being examined and asked to do self-quarantine for 14 days.

Why this poses a high risk to Punjab residents?

Most NRIs who have come back are not following the madatory home quarantine. The district authorities are finding it difficult to trace them. “Not even one per cent of these NRIs are behaving in a responsible manner and doing self-quarantine,” said a Civil Surgeon in Doaba. “Our teams are tracing them either at their relatives’ place in other villages or at the residences of fellow villagers and even moving around freely in the main markets in their respective areas,” he added, pointing out that there are even attempts to hide travel histories.

How did so many of them manage to come back?

All airlines flying from Europe were not stopped by the Centre when the virus entered in Europe in February, said a Punjab minister, adding that while the Union government reacted late, it also did not ensure proper screening at the Delhi airport.

Workers disinfect an area in the wake of Workers disinfect an area in the wake of coronavirus pandemic , in Amritsar, Saturday, March 21, 2020. (PTI Photo)

What is the way forward?

The state government must involve village panchayats to check on every NRI who has returned in the recent months.

Is this the usual time for NRI visit Punjab?

NRIs mostly come to Punjab from December to February during the marriage season here and also to escape the harsh winters in countries like Canada. By March, most of them go back. But this year, they have continued their travel to India even in March. Around 55 lakh NRIs from Doaba are settled abroad.

Why are they coming back in large numbers?

Most of them are coming back as Europe has been hit badly by coronavirus. After Italy, other nations like Spain and France are getting affected. Italy too has large number of Punjabis. “Medical system has failed in Italy after the outbreak of coronavirus and we thought that they will treat the natives on priority basis due to lack of medical facilities. So, we decided to come here safely before virus could infect us ,” said a man who recently returned to Bholath from Italy and is in home-quarantine.

Here’s a quick coronavirus guide for you to stay updated: Who all should be tested for Covid-19 and when? | How should you quarantine yourself? | How often (and how) should you clean your home? | What is the Janata Curfew announced by PM Modi? | Who are restricted from coming to India, and from when? | How long can the virus live on surfaces or in air around you? | Still more Coronavirus Q&A Explained news here

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