Order of the Supreme Court regarding migrants entering Orissa during the COVID-19 lockdown, 08/05/2020
Order of the Supreme Court of India in the matter of Union of India Vs Narayan Chandra Jena & Others dated 08/05/2020 regarding migrants stranded in different parts of the country during the COVID-19 lockdown bound for Orissa. The SC stayed the order passed by the Orissa High Court which directed that the migrants be tested negative of COVID-19 before entering the state.
The High Court order said that “all the migrants who are in queue to come to Odisha should be tested negative of COVID-19 before boarding the conveyance.”
The Solicitor General submitted that while boarding trains all the stranded migrants are screened and only those who found as asymptomatic are allowed to proceed. The apex court stated that “the stranded migrants shall be dealt with as per the order/guidelines of the Government of India dated 29.04.2020 read with the guidelines dated 01.05.2020 issued thereunder by the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs.”