Gandhinagar,  In a significant decision, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Saturday said that all those pilgrims returning from the holy Kumbh fair in Uttarakhand won't be allowed direct entry into their villages and towns. First, they will be RT-PCR screened for Corona infection and shall be quarantined and isolated for 14 days in case they are found positive.

The Gujarat CM said that all district collectors have been instructed on this.

Taking a serious call on the Covid-19 outbreak in the state, while briefing the media in Jamnagar on Saturday, the Gujarat CM said, "The administration is doing all it can to curb the spread of the coronavirus and ensure that minimum people gets infected in the state. In this context, all the returnees from the Kumbh Mela will not be allowed a direct entry into the villages and towns."

"Every one of them will be RT-PCR tested and if found positive, will be isolated for 14 days before letting them go to their places. We have instructed all the district collectors regarding this decision, so that the administration can prepare itself for such entrants and ensure that such people do not get access to their villages and towns," the CM said.

The situation in Gujarat is dire as far as the outbreak is concerned. The state saw around 9,000 people getting detected for coronavirus infection and a little under hundred lost their lives on Friday due to the pandemic.

The outbreak has not limited itself to major cities, as was the case before, but has also gained access to small towns and villages.

The Chief Minister and as well as the Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel visited Jamnagar as well as Kutch on Saturday to take stock of the situation.