Karnataka announces more Covid containment measures, mandates negative RT PCR for students from Kerala

All passengers arriving from neighbouring Kerala and Maharashtra are expected to produce a negative RT-PCR certificate, not older than 72 hours, at the state’s entry points. The certificate has been made mandatory irrespective of the vaccination status. Further, students who have arrived from Kerala to medical and paramedical colleges in the state within the past 15 days (between 12 and 27 November) would also be subjected to a compulsory RT-PCR test.

Special surveillance measures in the light of recent clusters of Covid -19 detected.@cmofKarnataka @mla_sudhakar @Comm_dhfwka @HubballiRailway@KodaguConnect @IChangeMyCity@WeAreBangalore @bangalore@Belagavi_infra @PIBBengaluru @KarnatakaVarthe pic.twitter.com/vt99Ixv1oN

— K'taka Health Dept (@DHFWKA) November 28, 2021

‘Henceforth, those students arriving from Kerala State to Medical and Paramedical Colleges and other such educational institutions within Karnataka shall be subjected to mandatory RT-PCR test on the 7th day after their arrival,’ the government further said.

Earlier on Saturday, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai met with the state health and disaster department to discuss the looming threat of the omicron variant. Following the meeting, it was decided that the monitoring for the disease in bordering districts would be increased and at the entry point for the state.

Amid the worries due to the emergence of the Omicron variant, 281 new Covid-19 cases have been identified across some colleges in the state. The cases are reportedly believed to have been transmitted primarily because of a freshers’ party in the SDM Medical College in Dharwad, which is now being called a ‘super spreader’ event.

While the government has said that all the primary and secondary contacts of those infected are being tested, on Sunday, it issued an advisory directing educational institutions to postpone social and cultural events by two months. ‘Conferences, seminars, academic events, etc. in educational institutions, wherever possible, may be postponed. Alternatively, it could be conducted in hybrid mode i.e. with minimal physical attendance and with more persons attending through virtual mode,’ the government said.

What changes now?

• Mandatory negative RT-PCR certificate, not older than 72 hours, for people arriving from Kerala and Maharashtra.
• Students who arrived at Karnataka from Kerala in the past 15 days to undergo mandatory RT-PCR tests. Those who will arrive from now on would be subjected to mandatory RT-PCR tests on the seventh day of their arrival.
• People testing Covid-positive from reported clusters to be treated as per protocol and people testing negative to be quarantined and undergo RT-PCR test on the seventh day. It is mandatory for all to follow containment measures.
• Deputy commissioners in bordering districts (with Kerala) such as Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru to ensure 100% screening of arrivals from Kerala.
• Students and others who visit Karnataka daily for education, business and other reasons should undergo RT-PCR test once in 14 days and must be in possession of the negative report for entry into the state.