Ramp up testing in border districts, Central team tells Karnataka govt

A three-member central team which visited Bengaluru on Monday has recommended government to ramp up testing in border districts considering a number of cluster outbreaks in the state owing to arrivals from neighbouring Maharashtra and Kerala.

The central team, comprising a joint secretary in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and two doctors, visited the testing facility at Kempegowda International Airport, a cluster at Sambhram Institute of Management Studies and the lab at Nimhans where Covid samples’ genomes were sequenced. They also visited a Diplomate of National Board (DNB) Academic Centre in Tumakuru.

Health Commissioner Dr Thrilok Chandra said, “They have asked us to enforce Covid-appropriate behaviour more vigorously and enhance testing and surveillance measures in border areas, particularly borders with Maharashtra and Kerala. They wanted to know remedial measures taken up particularly, with respect to students coming back from Kerala. Already, one round of testing has been completed on all the students. As per recommendations, mandatory isolation is also happening.”

“The central team was appreciative of our containment measures and testing. Only seven per cent of our tests are rapid antigen tests, 93% are RTPCR tests,” he said.