Government reduces institutional quarantine to 7 days; hotels asked to refund payments

The Home Ministry has issued an order following complaints that some hotels, used as temporary quarantine centres for people travelling from outside the country, were refusing to return 7-day advance money after the government cut down institutional quarantine period from 14 days to 7 days. The hotels were charging all international guests for 14 days in advance. A notification issued by Ajay Bhalla, Secretary Home Ministry has instructed chief secretaries of all states to ensure that the hotels process refunds without any delay.

The home ministry on May 24 had revised its guidelines to cut short mandatory institutional quarantine for passengers arriving from abroad on flights operated under the Vande Bharat mission—Repatriation flights conducted by the government of India—to seven days from earlier 14 days period.

According to the revised advisory, people could choose to spend the second week of quarantine at their homes. But the ministry received complaints that several hotels had already charged 14-days rent from arriving guests and were now refusing to return a week’s advance rent.