Shimla: Keeping in view of Coronavirus pandemic, the State Executive Committee under Disaster Management Act, 2005 has partially amended orders issued on 2nd July, 2020. As per the amendment the medical colleges would remain closed for final year students from 15th July, 2020 in the State. Similarly, Medical Training Institutions would also remain closed.
As per the orders, Inter-State movement of public transport buses would remain prohibited. However, taxis could ply through registration on COVID-19 e-Pass Software. Taxi drivers coming into the State for dropping may be exempted from quarantine, if they return back within 24 hours of the entry.
As per the amendments, the students and accompanying parents moving in and out of State for competitive examinations, their movement may be facilitated by waiving off the condition of quarantine, if they exit or re-enter the State or vice-versa within a period of 72 hours.
It was also decided that any person having been tested negative for COVID-19 through RT-PCR Test (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) by an ICMR accredited/approved laboratory not earlier than 72 hours at the time of entry may also be exempted from the requirement of quarantine. However, he/she would have to take adequate measures like wearing of mask, social distancing, etc. to prevent spread of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Coronavirus is spreading at the alarming rate in the state. In the last 24 hours state has found 66 positive cases, and 56 alone in Solan district. At present state has 348 active cases and out of these 151 are in Solan district only.
State Chief Minister claimed of taking necessary steps to check the spread of the virus, but with the return of migrant labours from other states, cases particularly in the Baddi-Nalagarh Industrial hub of the state has witnessed sharp increase in the cases.
The administration has now decided to keep industrial labourers in either institutional quarantine or in-home quarantine.
