Covid-19 spike forces Rajasthan to seal state borders for 7 days

JAIPUR: As Covid-19 cases increased with relaxations in lockdown, chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday once again imposed regulations on the movement of people and vehicles from across the state borders. The restrictions will be in place for the next seven days.
As per the order, no person can enter the state without an NOC from a competent authority, while those heading out of the state must get a pass issued either from the district collector or the person concerned. The order is not applicable for intra-state movement.

Rajasthan shares borders with Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
The order released by director general of police for law and order M L Lather directed police officers concerned to create check-posts at all inter-state borders.
“The pass for exiting the state will be granted to only those facing any emergency situation like hospitalisation in another state or to attend the funeral of a family member or a close relative,” the order said. The regulation will come into effect on June 11.
During a high-level review meeting at his residence on Wednesday, Gehlot stated that several people whose corona tests were negative before travelling to the state were found to be positive later. “By the time they tested positive, they had come in contact with several people here. It has come to the notice that several persons have travelled from hotspot areas in the state without undergoing Covid tests and they turned out to be spreaders in local areas,” Gehlot said at the meeting, while directing home department officials to release the revised SOP.
The move has been taken after a spike in the number of cases, especially among migrants and in rural areas. During the meet, Gehlot said the state had recorded 2,500 cases from June 1 to June 10, the first 10-day period when the state has come out of lockdown. “The regulation is required so that our three months of hard work shouldn’t go to waste,” said Gehlot.
Later in the day, the home department released the SOP stating that all persons moving outside the state have to obtain a pass from any of the following authorities: collector or district magistrate, commissioner of police/DCP/SP, sub-divisional magistrate, superintendent of police or the local police station. Also, counters will be set up by the district administration at airports, railway stations and the bus stands to provide on the spot passes after due verification of IDs to travellers.
Those arriving by air have to follow the same guidelines issued by the central government. Naveen Jain, managing director of Rajasthan State Roadways Transport Corporation said that those buses which are on the way to the state from other states carrying migrants will be affected by the order.