As Kerala saw a continuous rise in the number of people affected with coronavirus, Karnataka had imposed travel restrictions on those passengers coming into the state of Karnataka through the Kerala-Karnataka border. The state had close all but four entry points and had also employed various teams to check all those entering the state from Kerala. Moreover, travelers to Karnataka from Kerala had also been instructed to produce RT-PCR test results that declared them to be covid-free in order to gain entry into the state. While all these restrictions were made with the intent of curbing the spread of the virus, daily commuters to Karnataka from the state of Kerala found themselves in trouble as these new restrictions would mean they get themselves tested every three days.
Therefore, taking into account the hardships faced by such passengers, the administration has decided to relax its restrictions on interstate travel for the time being. As of now, passengers who were commuters or employees of various firms and even students were permitted to enter without the RT-PCR tests. Nevertheless, the administrations plan to re-introduce the restrictions as soon as three days from now.
As part of the state’s efforts to curb the spread of the virus, teams deployed by the health department will be visiting various educational institutions and collecting samples to carry out RT-PCR tests, said District Deputy Commissioner. He also mentioned that since it would be difficult for students to keep visiting hospitals each time they needed to get tested, the aforementioned teams would be setting up camps in various educational campuses.
It was in accordance with the unlock guidelines that all kinds of travel were permitted. Thus the imposing of such restrictions at a time when the unlock guidelines should be followed would definitely be met with resistance. It was explained how because of this factor, the implementation of said restrictions, albeit for the good of everyone, will prove to be a difficult task.
According to the District Health Officer, RT-PCR test centers will stand their ground at the four checkpoints and all passengers including daily commuters will be asked to produce negative test results at those checkpoints to gain entry into the state of Karnataka. The SMS that one receives after having gone for a test is also enough evidence to gain entry into the state.
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