Changed quarantine norms: Ensure hotels give refunds to international arrivals, MHA tells states

NEW DELHI: The home ministry has asked states to ensure that hotels refund seven days’ quarantine stay charges paid by people returning from abroad who did not end up staying for those days.
The 14-day quarantine period for people returning from abroad has now been reduced to 7 days institutional stay and seven days at home. Many passengers had paid for 14 days’ institutional stays in hotels while they will now stay for half that duration, hence the need for the refund.
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Home secretary Ajay Bhalla on Tuesday wrote to chief secretaries that the Union health ministry had on May 24 issued quarantine guidelines for international arrivals.
“As per these guidelines, protocol for institutional quarantine has been revised to seven days followed by seven days home quarantine after medical assessment. It has been brought to the notice of this ministry that Indian nationals who were quarantined in hotels after their return from abroad were made to pay advance for 14 days. Since they can now leave for home quarantine after 7 days, the amount paid by them for the remaining 7 days needs to be refunded to them, which some hotels are refusing to refund,” Bhalla’s letter says.
“You are requested to issue necessary directions to hotels earmarked/used for institutional quarantine to ensure that foreign returnees who were quarantined in hotels and paid advance of 14 days, shall be refunded their balance amount, without any delay,” it added.