Gowda quarantine row: Karnataka revises SOP; exempts ministers, officials from quarantine

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government revised its standard operating procedure (SoP) to offer exemption to ministers of union government or state government ministers or officers, travelling across states on their official duty, from the mandatory quarantine period.

“The ministers of Union government or state governments or officers on duty will be exempted from quarantine as has been done for health professionals,” said state Health Commissioner P.K. Pandey in an order here.

The order has also exempted any person who produces negative test report of COVID-19 from ICMR approved laboratory obtained within two days ahead of their travel date from from institutional quarantine. Airlines crew on official duty too have been exempted from quarantine.

The order was issued on a day when Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda triggered a controversy with out undergoing institutional quarantine as mandated by the Karnataka government for air travellers coming from high COVID-19 prevalence states.

Gowda who had arrived from Delhi by a flight here defended himself saying he came under the exempted category being in-charge of pharmaceuticals, an essential sector.