In Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly, Migrant Workers coming home from the metro cities were forced to take an open bath in groups with sanitizer solution before they were allowed to enter the district. The video of the same has gone viral on the internet.
As per the viral video, a group of migrants including women are seen to be sitting on an empty road as the officials spray disinfectant on them. In the same video, one can hear the announcement made by officials instructing the laborers to close their mouths and turn backward. The migrants also have their luggage tucked on their backs.
Ashok Gautam, the nodal officer-in-charge of COVID-19 in Bareilly district, confirmed the incident and said that the administration indeed sprayed disinfectant on the migrants with chlorine mixed with water but clarified that it wasn’t a chemical solution. He further said that such a move was incorporated as a massive influx of incoming migrants was witnessed. He also justified the incident claiming it was for their ‘safety’ and called the move a ‘necessity’ to eradicate the disease.
Speaking to a media house, Mr. Gautam said,
“It’s natural they will get wet. It was our attempt to get the clothes wet as it would be better so that whatever signs of virus possibly on it (clothes) will get destroyed.”
He stressed that making sure of their safety was more important than their clothes getting wet. He also said such incidents would not happen again as the crowding of migrants into the district has stopped.
District Magistrate Takes Action
Nitish Kumar, the district magistrate of Bareilly, has ordered action against officials who were responsible for such an act. He said, the ‘overactive’ municipal corporation of Bareilly and the fire department who were instructed to sanitize the buses ended up doing this. He also assured that the concerned people were now under the supervision of the Chief Minister’s Office.
The lockdown that was imposed 5 days earlier is scheduled to end on April 14th, 2020. The coronavirus outbreak in India has raised in the past week seeing at least 100 confirmed cases a day and the death toll to raising every day. The country currently stands at over 1,100 confirmed cases and 27 deaths. The number of people recovered successfully has crossed 100. However, the number of positive cases in the world has crossed 700,000 with over 33,000 deaths.
