Karnataka colleges, companies to provide institutional quarantine facilities for Kerala travellers

ln view of the prevailing Covid-19 situation in Kerala, it has been observed that students and employees arriving in Karnataka from Kerala in spite of bringing negative RT-PCR reports are testing Covid-19 positive during a repeat test and a number of such cases are being reported in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.

In this regard, students and employees coming from Kerala shall compulsorily bring negative RT-PCR certificates that are not older than 72 hours, irrespective of their Covid vaccination status (one or two doses), and the validity of such certificates is for seven days, said Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Jawaid Akhtar in a circular issued here on Wednesday.

The necessary arrangements for institutional quarantine of students from Kerala have to be done by the administrators/principals of the educational institutions. In the case of employees, necessary arrangements for institutional quarantine are to be made by the respective offices/companies/firms, the order further said. Under no circumstances will such persons be permitted to be in home isolation.

The persons shall compulsorily be in institutional quarantine and under strict supervision for seven days. On the seventh day they shall be tested by RT-PCR and on testing negative they shall be released. They shall further do self-assessment and in case of onset of symptoms, they shall get RT-PCR test done, seek medical consultation and follow the state protocol.

Also read: RGUHS asks colleges to monitor students returning to Karnataka from other states

The person who tests positive shall compulsorily be shifted to a CCC and the contacts tested by RT-PCR, and if negative, placed under institutional quarantine for seven days, and on testing RT-PCR negative on the seventh day, he/she shall be released.

ln cases of breakthrough infection (occurring 14 days after the second vaccine dose) and samples with Ct value higher than 25, the person shall be compulsorily sent for whole genomic sequencing and pending results, the samples may be subjected to reflex/variant PCR testing (after the test kits are validated) to know the variant quickly.

Visitors from Kerala other than students and employees should produce the RT- PCR negative test report and should be in home quarantine for seven days.

Other permitted exemptions for institutional quarantine are constitutional functionaries, health care professionals and their spouses, children below two years, those in dire emergency situations (death in the family, medical treatment etc.), short term travellers (leaving within three days), students arriving in Karnataka for writing exams along with one parent (leaving within three days), and passengers in transit from and to Kerala via any mode of transport.