The Karnataka government has announced relaxations to the manadatory institutional quarantine of international travellers. The health and family welfare department, in its standard operating procedure (SOP) for international returnees, has exempted pregnant women, children aged 10 years and below, senior citizens above 80 years and terminally ill patients (like cancer, stroke, renal disease) from mandatory 14-day institutional quarantine; this will be provided they are classified as "asymptomatic" (Category 2), during the COVID-19 screening. However, they will be required to follow the 14-day home quarantine from the date of arrival.
The exempted persons will also undergo RT-PCR testing on arrival and will be allowed to go home only upon testing negative for the virus.
Till date, 570 international travellers have arrived in the state from Dubai, Singapore and London. The first phase of Vande Mataram special evacuation mission will bring home 6,100 to Karnataka and many more flights are expected to land in Bengaluru and Mangaluru airports in the coming days. As per the SOP, all international passengers are being sent to mandatory institutional quarantine at the hotels. The government has identified hostels and residential school (free food and stay) for those who are unable to afford the hotels.
