On return, NRIs have to pay for mandatory quarantine

All NRIs who will be coming to the city have to pay for their mandatory quarantine, for staying in hotels of their choice. This was stated by the district administration here today.

As many as 26 hotels and two institutional quarantine centres have been dedicated for the NRIs and travellers coming from other states through flights to the district in the days to come.

NRIs will be expected to pay quarantine charges. The NIT centre is only for those returning from within the country. NRIs will be kept at hotels and paid quarantine centres. All arrangements have been made for the same. If poor migrants or workers come to the city, arrangements for them will be made then. We don't have any NRI returnees’ list so far. — Anupam Kler, Deputy Director, Local Bodies, & Nodal Officer for NRIs staying at hotels

With prices for the NRI stay pegged between Rs 1,000 (or DAVIET quarantine) and Rs 7,500 for plush hotel quarantine, some of the NRIs raised concerns over the decision.

The district administration has stated that 3,500 persons stranded in various parts of the country are expected to reach the city in the days to come. The National Institute of Technology (NIT) has been declared as a quarantine centre by the administration for them. As per directions of the state government, travellers coming from outside have to undergo mandatory quarantine even in case of asymptomatic conditions.

Officials said all NRIs coming to the district would be screened at Meritorious School and if any are found asymptomatic, they would be quarantined and would be sent to the hospital if they were found to be symptomatic. They said throat swab test of NRIs would be held at the school. From there, they will be shifted to the hotel, chosen by them as quarantine centre.

While the number of NRIs is not known yet, 400 to 500 rooms in various hotels of the district have been kept for them.

Starting at Rs 1,000 (for DAVIET) per day expenses, an NRI would have to shell out minimum Rs 14,000 for the 14-day quarantine period.

For those going for the most expensive hotels (Rs 7,500), the 14-day expense would come to over Rs 1 lakh.

While on the one hand this might give a boost to the hotel industry, which is languishing amid the lockdown, on the other some raise concerns that the decision will affect poor or migrants coming from abroad.

Jasbir Singh Gill, member, NRI Sabha, said: “People from countries such as the US, Canada and the UK don’t want to return to India. However, the government seems to have disregarded concerns of poor migrants who will be coming from middle eastern countries. A lot of them have failed to get their salaries and can’t afford to pay the quarantine charges. The return of these people, both from India and abroad, is a crucial juncture for the cash-strapped government. However, hotels for affluent NRIs is a welcome step. Arrangements should be made beforehand for those who might not be able to pay for their stay.”

Anupam Kler, Deputy Director, Local Bodies, and Nodal Officer for NRIs staying at hotels, said: “The NRIs will be expected to pay quarantine charges. The NIT centre is only for those returning from within the country. NRIs will be kept at hotels and paid quarantines. All arrangements have been made for the same. If poor migrants or workers come to the city, arrangements for them will be made then. We don’t have any NRI returnees list so far.”

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