Karnataka government has made a week’s institutional quarantine mandatory for all people coming from Kerala in the wake of high COVID-19 positivity rate in the neighbouring state.
Revenue Minister R. Ashok told reporters in Bengaluru today that the mandatory institutional quarantine rule would apply to all visitors from Kerala, including students.
Also, such visitors would have to undergo a COVID-19 test after completing the one-week institutional quarantine, he said.
Meanwhile, Dakshina Kannada district Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra said that restrictions on the movement of people enforced at the border with Kerala will continue as there has been no change in the COVID-19 situation in the neighbouring state.
Giving a clarification on reports claiming that the Centre has lifted the requirement of RT-PCR certificates to cross the border, he said the Karnataka government's order mandating the RT-PCR test negative certificates for those coming to Dakshina Kannada from Kerala is still in force.
The order is meant to contain the spread of COVID-19 and the district administration will continue to implement the same, he said.
Rajendra said more than 30,000 new COVID-19 cases are being reported from Kerala daily and the test positivity rate in neighbouring Kasaragod district is around 12 per cent.
In Dakshina Kannada, the positivity rate has been brought down to around two with a lot of effort and lifting of border restrictions will be like letting in new cases from Kerala. Though it is difficult to implement, the district has no other option than making the RT-PCR certificate mandatory, he said.
The test positivity rate in Dakshina Kannada district came down to 1.81 per cent on Sunday.
(With PTI inputs)
