Hotels ordered to refund 7 days rent after institutional quarantine cut from 14 to 7 days

The home ministry order was released after complaints of hotels refusing to refund money to people who were opting for seven days of home quarantine following the relaxation given by the centre.

The home ministry has intervened on Tuesday following complaints that some hotels, used as temporary quarantine centres for people travelling from outside the country, were refusing to return seven day advance money after the government cut down institutional quarantine period from 14 days to seven.

Several hotels acting as temporary quarantine centres had charged advance rent for 14 days and were refusing to refund people after the institutional quarantine period was slashed by the govt. (ANI Photo/File/Representatives)

A notification issued on Tuesday by Ajay Bhalla, secretary home ministry in this regards instructs chief secretaries of all states to ensure that the hotels process refunds without any delay.

“It has been brought to the notice of this ministry that Indian nationals who were quarantined in hotels after their return from abroad were made to pay advance for 14 days. Since they can now leave for home quarantine after 7 days, the amount paid by them for the remaining 7 days needs to be refunded to them, which some hotels are refusing to refund,” the order highlights.

For Coronavirus Live Updates

The home ministry on Sunday revised its guidelines to cut short mandatory institutional quarantine for passengers arriving from abroad on flights operated under the Vande Bharat mission—a massive repatriation exercise being 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.

The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19

The home ministry directed the states to ensure that the hotels in their jurisdiction comply.

“You are requested to issue necessary directions to hotels earmarked/used for Institutional quarantine to ensure that foreign returnees who were quarantined in hotels and paid advance of 14-days, shall be refunded the balance amount, without any delay,” the order said.