Reportedly hundreds of migrant labourers left the thiruvananthapuram railway station on saturday to go to their home in jharkhand on a specially arranged train during COVID-19 lockdown. Wearing masks and keeping physical distance from each other, the labourers moved to the railway platform. health officials and workers had visited their camps to do a medical examination to make sure they were fit for train travel. From the camps, the workers were taken in kerala State Road Transport Corporation buses, with specific distance maintained between the seats. Medical examination including thermal scanning was also done at the station.
government officials made sure the workers have enough food and nourishment for the journey that will take them to ranchi in Jharkand. Food kits, containing bread, snacks and water bottles, were distributed at the station. In the train too, proper distance was maintained with 60 people in every compartment. Railway Protection Force and government Railway police officials are also accompanying the workers for the 36 hour journey.
On reaching the destination, the respective state governments will conduct another medical examination on the workers, and depending on their health condition, decide if they should be put in hospital or home quarantine. They will have to be in home quarantine for 14 days, even if they are sent home. Moreover on another train the same day, a special train left for Jharkand from telangana carrying 1200 workers.More than 3.6 lakh migrant labourers have been staying in camps across the state since the countrywide lockdown began on march 25.
