43,625 samples have been collected from those who have returned to UP, government data showed (File)
Coronavirus cases among migrant workers who have returned home to Uttar Pradesh continue to rise. So far 1,041 migrants who have returned home from other states have been found infected with coronavirus.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's media advisor Mrityunjay claimed that the state has so far got 22 lakh migrant workers back home using trains and state government buses.
A spike in coronavirus infection among the returnees was seen in Barabanki district, 30 km east of Lucknow, with 50 new cases reported in 24 hours. The district saw an additional 45 cases in the same 24 hour period, taking the day tally there to 95 cases.
In a tweet, the district magistrate of Barabaki said the additional cases were of those who had come into contact with COVID-19 patients.
The UP government's data shows 43,625 samples have been collected from those who have returned to the state. The state also reported 249 new COVID-19 cases in total in the 24 hours till Wednesday.
On Tuesday, 50 migrants who have returned home were found infected with coronavirus in UP's Basti district, 190 km from state capital Lucknow, taking the total in the district to 104. A top district official said 28 have recovered.
"We are finding that the rate of infection among migrant workers returning to UP is more. On random sampling, we have found that the rate of positive cases for migrant workers is more than the general rate for the state. It is important that our migrant workers stay home and stay away from their family members," Amit Mohan Prasad , Uttar Pradesh's Principal Secretary, Health, told the media on Wednesday.
The UP government on Monday agreed to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's request to allow the Congress to run 1,000 buses for migrants. In a letter, the government asked the Congress leader's office to send details of the buses.
The political fight continued as the UP government said autos, two-wheelers and goods carriers were among the list of buses that Congress sent. A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against Ms Vadra's secretary and UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu for giving wrong details in the list of buses, the UP government said.
Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday recalled the buses after they were not allowed to enter Uttar Pradesh.
Several states have agreed to allow migrant workers to return home, but have also raised concerns that they could bring in new infections and add to the number of coronavirus cases in their home states.
The centre has been running special "Shramik" trains for migrant workers since May 1, over a month after the lockdown kicked in on March 25 - it has been extended thrice - but even then thousands who could not find transport continued to walk home from the cities.