Following flak, Maharashtra govt says migrant labourers returning to home states won't need individual medical certificates

Migrant workers seeking to leave Maharashtra for their home states will no longer need to procure individual medical certificates, according to an order issued by the state government on Thursday. The relief comes two days after an Firstpost reported on the difficulties that migrant labourers have been facing in procuring these certificates.

The order, signed by chief secretary Ajoy Mehta, states, "A single list of all passengers indicating that they have been screened and not found to be displaying any influenza-like illness (ILI) be issued by the medical person in-charge. There will be no need for individual certificates and a certification of passengers manifest shall suffice."

Further, the order stated that migrants who want to leave for their home states "should be screened at the time of starting of journey, by use of digital thermometer and symptomatic examination. This be done free of cost through medical officers of government/municipal corporation or by hiring the services of registered medical practitioners by the municipal corporations."

The order issued by the Maharashtra government on Thursday

The Union home ministry, in order dated 29 April, allowed the movement of migrant workers back to their home states from 4 May. However, the guidelines stated that all those wishing to travel should be screened and only those found asymptomatic should be allowed to proceed.

Given the large number of migrant labourers desperately waiting to get back to their native states due to the coronavirus lockdown, procuring an individual certificate was a difficult task, Firstpost reported. Near the Kurla railway station, long queues of migrant workers were seen in front of a clinic.

After the order was issued on Thursday, the CPM's Maharashtra unit tweeted —

Till Thursday, Maharashtra has reported 16,758 cases and 651 deaths due to COVID-19.