Nearly 1,500 passengers of the special train from Ernakulam, Kerala, that arrived here on Monday, were screened for coronavirus and stamped for 14-day quarantine before they could exit the station premises.

The passengers, who hail from Assam, work in Ernakulam and in other parts of Kerala where they were stranded owing to the pandemic. A special train was operated on March 20 evening to evacuate around 1,500 of them. The train arrived here around 2pm.

The state health department, with the assistance of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) authorities, had set up a special counter to screen the passengers.

Following checking of body temperature and Covid-19 symptoms, the passengers were stamped with indelible ink on their hands for 14-day self-isolation.

Although other passengers of three other scheduled trains were also screened, the 1,500 passengers were thought to be more at risk due to the high prevalence of the virus in Kerala, with recommendation of social isolation so that anyone infected does not transmit it to others.

Passengers of the special train were taken to different destinations in the city by special buses operated by the Assam State Transport Corporation.

“The daytime screening is being done by the state health authorities, while the railway health workers are screening passengers arriving at night. All passengers arriving here by different trains are being screened before leaving the station,” NFR chief public relations officer (CPRO) Suhanan Chanda told The Telegraph.

“Two special trains from Pune and Mangalore will arrive here on Tuesday. In addition to the two special trains, three other scheduled trains — Avadh-Assam Express, Brahmaputra Mail and the Okha Express — are also due to arrive on Tuesday. These were the last trains running to the state before all trains were cancelled on Sunday,” the CPRO added.

The five trains will be the last to enter the state before the lockdown at 6pm on Tuesday.