Vehicles coming from Maha do not stop at border for thermal screening, MP officials in a fix

Mar 18, 2021

Badhwani (Madhya Pradesh) [India], March 18 : Madhya Pradesh officials are facing difficulties in implementing the COVID guidelines to do thermal screening of people coming from Maharashtra and advise them to undergo mandatory quarantine for a week as many vehicles do not stop at the border despite being asked.
"We have deployed employees at Khetia and Sendhawa border for the thermal screening of the passengers coming from other states. We are also advising them to stay at home. Our team is working its level best. Action will be taken if any negligence is found," said Dr Anita Singare, Chief Medical Health Officer, Badhwani.
Amid hundreds of vehicles passing through the border, only two health workers were found at the Sendhwa border, screening the passengers coming from Maharashtra.
"Screening has been started from March 1. We are advised to stop the vehicles coming from other states and then screen the passengers. But only a few vehicles stop and those which stop, we screen them," said Asaram Chowhan, one of the health workers said.
Citing the surge of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, the Madhya Pradesh government last Saturday issued instructions that passengers coming from Maharashtra should undergo mandatory quarantine for seven days.
As per a statement issued by the state government, the district administrations of Bhopal, Indore, and 12 other districts have been instructed to exercise extra caution. "The passengers travelling from Maharashtra will undergo thermal screening and will have to undergo 7 days of mandatory quarantine," the statement read.
"The indoor halls in Bhopal, Indore, and the districts attached to the borders of Maharashtra can function with only 50 per cent of their capacity," it added.
Maharashtra has reported 8,267 fresh COVID-19 cases and 87 deaths in the last 24 hours.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Madhya Pradesh has 5,286 active COVID-19 cases, while 261031 people have recovered from the disease. The death toll due to COVID-19 stands at 3,891 in the state.