Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra on Thursday said students from Kerala and Maharashtra should return with COVID-19 negative certificates to hostels/paying guest accommodations after spending Christmas and year-end holidays in their native places and undergo RT-PCR tests on arrival.
Dr. Rajendra told reporters here there were fluctuations in new COVID-19 cases in the last few days because of some clusters. The district has 164 active cases: 35 in hospitals and 129 under home isolation.
The case fatality ratio was at 1.17.
The overall test positivity rate (TPR) of Dakshina Kannada was 0.26 % with Mangaluru City Corporation area accounting to 0.43 %, followed by 0.21 % in Sullia taluk, 0.12% in Belthangady taluk, 0.08 % in Bantwal taluk, and 0.03% in Puttur taluk. The TPR in Kerala, Dr. Rajendra said, was between 8 and 9 % and 6% in neighbouring Kasaragod district.
Dr. Rajendra said those returning from Kerala and Maharashtra to hostels and paying guest accommodations should have RT-PCR negative certificate.
“Institutions should subject these students to RT-PCR test and quarantine them for a week. Students may be allowed to attend classes if they test negative after another RT-PCR test,” he said.
While expressing difficulty for the district administration to enforce COVID-19 norms, Dr. Rajendra said the learned people of the district should exercise self restraint during Christmas, year-end, and other festivities. “Avoid visiting crowded places, sport masks, and follow social distance,” he said.
Stating that 93% of the targeted population in the district was covered with the first dose of vaccine, Dr. Rajendra said around 1.15 lakh people were yet to receive it. Vaccine hesitancy was more prevalent in areas bordering Kerala, including parts of Ullal, Kotekar etc.
Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Kumara said assistance of local politicians and religious heads was being taken to convince people to get vaccinated. The administration has gathered from school students that about 35,000 of their family members were yet to be vaccinated.
“House-to-house visits were being made to convince them to receive vaccine,” Mr. Kumar said.
