All students coming from Kerala to colleges in Dakshina Kannada will be tested for COVID-19, while daily pass holders will be tested once in every fortnight, according to Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra here on Monday.
Talking to reporters following a meeting with Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar and officers from the Revenue and Health departments and Mangaluru City Corporation, Dr. Rajendra said that the district administration will work with other departments to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from Kerala in Dakshina Kannada.
“It is a difficult task for the district administration as the boundary with Kerala is porous. We will try to tighten measures without placing restrictions on movement (across borders) and stop the rise of cases in Dakshina Kannada,” he said.
Dr. Rajendra said that Rapid Antigen Test will be carried out for people entering the district from the three important check-posts. Some people will be subjected to RT-PCR tests at these check-posts.
He said that the district administration has set a target of testing about 8,000 students coming from Kerala to study in colleges in Dakshina Kannada. “They will be asked not to commute to their places. If they visit their native places, they will be asked to produce RT-PCR test negative report when they come back (to their institutions),” Dr. Rajendra said.
The district administration, he said, has planned to have one officer for every 50 daily pass holders and test people, who are in touch with these pass holders, once every 15 days. Teams comprising police, revenue and municipality personnel will be deployed for enforcement of COVID-19 protocol.
