shut for 21 days starting March 24, these workers decided to return to their respective villages. The sight of multiple groups of migrant workers stranded on the state's borders has prompted the Uttar Pradesh government to act.

In a statement on Saturday morning, the Uttar Pradesh government said that as many as a thousand buses have been arranged to ferry these migrant workers back to their homes. These workers are now being guided to the Kasuhambi bus depot, Noida Sector 82, and Surajpur Phase-2 from where they will be seated in the respective bus leaving for their village.

Officers deployed at all entry points have been issued stringent instructions in this regard, said the state government of Uttar Pradesh. In addition, the local administrations of border towns have been asked to provide temporary food and shelter to the migrant workers heading back homes, claimed the state government.

Responding to fears of the mass migration of migrant workers at a time such as this, the UP government said that all of these workers will be screened for the novel coronavirus. At present, Uttar Pradesh has 45 confirmed cases of Covid-19. Out of these, 11 people have been treated and discharged. In a tweet on Saturday, UP Chief Minister's office urged the people to stay where they are and respect the lockdown until further instructions are issued.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also arrived at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border and told media outlets that DTC buses are also being employed to ferry these migrant workers home.