Cuttack, May 7 (PTI) The Orissa High Court on Thursday suggested that the state government ensure that only those migrant workers, who are tested negative for COVID-19, are allowed to return to the state.

Adjudicating over a PIL, a division bench comprising Justice Kumari Sanju Panda and Justice K R Mohapatra adjourned the matter till the next sitting of the bench.

"In the meantime, the state government should ensure that all the migrants who are in the queue to come to Odisha should be tested negative for COVID-19 before boarding the conveyance," the bench said during the hearing.

The high court, however, has not specified whether the state government would ensure the corona status of the returnees through laboratory tests or thermal screening tests.

Social activist Narayan Chandra Jena had written a letter to the high court on May 1 seeking judicial intervention for ensuring that corona inflicted migrant workers are not allowed to enter the state by the government.

The letter was converted to a PIL on May 4 and the petitioner appeared in person to argue the case on Thursday.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)