Following the detection of four cases of new Covid virus strains, the state government has made it mandatory for passengers arriving to Karnataka from the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa to produce RT-PCR negative certificate to board the flight and additionally undergo an RT-PCR test at Bengaluru Airport.
Even if they test negative, they shall undergo home quarantine for 14 days and follow-up RT-PCR test shall be conducted on the seventh day. An order to this effect was issued by Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Jawaid Akhtar here on Tuesday.
The measure was taken after the Union health ministry on Tuesday said four cases of South Africa variants and one case of the Brazilian variant have been found in India. The four SA strains were found in individuals who returned from Angola, Tanzania and South Africa.
Those who test positive shall undergo institutional quarantine for 14 days and positive samples shall be sent to Nimhans for genomic sequencing. They shall be discharged after consecutive two samples are negative through RTPCR, done 24 hours
apart.
Similarly, passengers who have travelled to Karnataka from Kerala in the past two weeks shall compulsorily be subjected to RT- PCR test. An exemption is given only to those who have a valid RT-PCR negative test report not older
than 72 hours.
The students from Kerala who reside in the hostels shall avoid frequently travelling to their native place unless it is strongly justified. Such students returning from Kerala shall bring a negative RT-PCR test report.
The employees of multinational companies, hotels, resorts, lodges, home stays should get the test done at their own cost.
(Published 16 February 2021, 23:51 IST)
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