Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Monday that Karnataka appeared to have thawed and agreed to partially lift its total blockade on the movement of patients from Kasaragod to hospitals in Mangaluru through the Thalapady inter-State check-post.

However, the riders to the agreement were that the patients should produce a medical testimonial that they were COVID-19 negative if they were to be allowed into Karnataka and that the patients have to volunteer for medical examination by a Karnataka medical team on their side of the border.

In stark contrast, Kerala has not blockaded patients from Bylacoopa and Machur districts in Karnataka from seeking medical care at hospitals in neighbouring Wayanad. The government would not block their passage or detain them on Kerala’s side of the border unnecessarily. People from Pandalloor and Gudalloor in Tamil Nadu also relied on Wayanad for medical care, he said.