In an order on Tuesday, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said the protocol for Institutional quarantine has been revised to 7 days followed by 7 days home quarantine after medical assessment.
The Centre on Tuesday reduced the institutional quarantine period of Indians arriving from abroad under the Vande Bharat Mission to seven days, from the earlier mandatory quarantine of 14 days.
In an order on Tuesday, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said, "Protocol for Institutional quarantine has been revised to 7 days followed by 7 days home quarantine after medical assessment."
Bhalla has also directed state governments to ensure that passengers are refunded seven days of advance by hotels where they were staying and were asked to pay 14-day advance.
"It has been brought to the notice of this Ministry that Indian Nationals who were quarantined in hotels after their return from abroad were made to pay advance for 14 days. Since they can now leave for home quarantine after 7 days, the amount paid by them for the remaining 7 days needs to be refunded to them, which some hotels are refusing to refund," Bhalla said in his letter to chief secretaries of all states and UTs.
All international passenger flights have been cancelled due to the coronavirus-enforced lockdown in India and only international arrivals are Indians arriving from flights under the Vande Bharat Mission launched to repatriated stranded Indians abroad.
Under the SOP for Vande Bharat Mission, the Ministry of Home Affairs had made 14-day quarantine of returnees mandatory.
Medical screening of passengers would be done before taking the flight and only asymptomatic passengers would be allowed to travel, the MHA had said in its a standard operating protocol (SOP).
On reaching the destination, everyone would have to register on the Aarogya Setu app, and they would be medically screened.
After scrutiny, they would be quarantined for 14 days, either in a hospital or in an institutional quarantine on payment-basis, by the concerned state government, the SOP said.
COVID-19 test would be done after 14 days and further action would be taken according to health protocols, the home ministry had said.
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