Covid -ve certificate must for Kerala returnees: Karnataka

BENGALURU: With Covid cases increasing in Kerala, the Karnataka government has mandated that all returnees from the neighbouring state produce Covid negative RT-PCR report not older than 72 hours.
A circular to this effect was issued by Jawaid Akhtar, additional chief secretary, health and family welfare department, on Tuesday. “The district commissioners will take a call on implementation. Border surveillance may be done and there will be random checks in districts,” he added.
Besides, all those who have come from Kerala to Karnataka in the past two weeks shall compulsorily be subjected to RT-PCR test.
Cluster of 5 or more cases to be declared containment zone
Exemption will be given if only they have RTPCR negative certificate. “Anyone who does not comply will immediately be reported to the nodal person/authorities and made to strictly stay in designated quarantine in the facility till the RT-PCR report is negative,” the circular reads.
If there are a cluster of five or more cases in hostels, boarding or residential, educational institutions, such places will be declared ‘containment zones’ by local health authorities and special surveillance measures initiated. After seven days of notifying of a containment zone, students and staff should be re-tested.
Strict enforcement of precautions like compulsory wearing of face masks, physical distancing, use of hand sanitisers, monitoring of symptomatic cases in hostels and educational institutions is very important, and heads of institutions will be held responsible for lapses.
The swab samples of Kerala-bound passengers when they test positive shall be sent to Nimhans for genomic sequencing.
The government has mandated that inmates of hostels and colleges should not be allowed to have visitors/relatives without obtaining express permission from Covid nodal officers. Also, day scholars travelling from Kerala to schools/colleges in any part of Karnataka will be subjected to RT-PCR testing every fortnight.
Precautions in hostels
Students must stay in separate rooms. Any potential for super-spreading avenues such as crowding in dining areas, waiting halls, reading rooms, playing areas, gymnasium, should be prevented in hostels, colleges/schools.