mid-day’s investigation compels BMC to overhaul its procedure for mandatory institutional quarantine for international passengers
An int’l flier gets onto a bike after getting off a BEST bus and checking into a hotel
Reported by - Diwakar Sharma, Shirish Vaktania and Samiullah Khan
After mid-day exposed corrupt practices by civic workers dealing with international travellers arriving in the city from high-risk zones, the BMC on Tuesday revamped its rules for the mandatory seven-day institutional quarantine of such travellers. The civic body says passengers will now be identified ward-wise. It has also tied the loose ends over the transfer of passengers to hotels. Officials will now visit the hotels twice to check if any traveller is missing from there, said the corporation.
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This international passenger (light blue T-shirt and mask) was dropped off at Dadar on April 3 instead of a 7-day quarantine. Pic/Satej Shinde
A week-long investigation by this newspaper had shown that some travellers coming from the UK, Europe, the Middle East and South African had managed to evade the compulsory isolation by bribing BMC officials.
After promising to take serious action, the BMC has issued a circular saying a standard operating procedure is required (SOP) for efficient handling and transporting and checking of the international passengers.
Acknowledging mid-day’s investigation, a press note signed by the additional municipal commissioner (projects) says, “There have been some complaints with regard to malpractices with respect to quarantining of passengers in hotels.”
On the new SOP, it says, “Airport team deployed for handling international passengers inside the airport terminal shall prepare ward-wise list along with all details of passengers sent to hotel quarantine every day. Airport team shall e-mail the passengers list with all details everyday to all the concerned Asstt.Commissioner / E.H.O."
The SOP for transporting passengers to hotels for quarantine too has been overhauled. According to the new SOP, “Airport team deployed outside airport terminal shall take the passengers, according to their chosen hotel, to the allotted BEST bus and hand over passengers along with the list to the concerned BEST driver. The BEST driver shall drop the passengers to their chosen hotel and obtain acknowledgement from the said hotel.”
It says the BEST driver ferrying the passengers will hand over the acknowledgement from the hotel to the airport coordinating officer, who will cross-check the data.
To ensure the passengers remain in the hotel after checking in, the SOP says the assistant commissioner concerned will form teams to monitor passengers staying in hotels in their jurisdiction as per the list received from the airport.
“After receipt of the detailed list from the airport team, the team appointed by Asstt. Commissioner shall visit the quarantine centre and verify whether the passengers have actually reached the quarantine centre and are adhering to quarantine rules. Such checking shall be carried out at least twice during the quarantine period of the passenger (preferably 2nd and 6th day).”
In case of any violation, action will be taken under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 and the Disaster Management Act 2005, says the circular. It also says senior officials will periodically review the working of the teams. “The team shall prepare a weekly report of the checking of the quarantine centre and submit the report to the concerned zonal Deputy Municipal Commissioner and Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects), P Velrasu,” adds the circular.
“The Standard Operating Procedure shall come into force with Immediate effect,” said P Velrasu.
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