The Talapady check-post on the Kerala-Karnataka border witnessed heavy rush of vehicles carrying Keralites from outside the State since early morning on Monday.
Personnel at the 100-odd help desks, opened at 8 a.m., had a tough time as many people who had not registered for travel permission also arrived at the check-post.
A large number of Keralites, most of them from north India, are expected to arrive through National Highways 66, 47 and 48.
District Collector D. Sajith Babu said about 4,500 people had registered on the government website and accordingly arrangements were made to check the health status of those arriving at Talapady.
Only three persons in four-seater vehicles and five persons in seven-seater vehicles are allowed to cross the border. Teams consisting of health inspectors and regional transport officers are inspecting the vehicles and the passengers. People with symptoms of COVID-19 will be sent to the observation centres in ambulances.
The district administration has arranged vehicles at Talapady to ferry people up to Payyanur.