Mandatory health screening, home quarantine for those entering K'taka from today

Bengaluru: A mandatory health screening upon their entry and home quarantined for 14 days, the health department said on Sunday. The announcement comes hours after the state government passed an order lifting curbs on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods as part of relaxing COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.

The order clarified that no separate permission, approval or e-permit would be required for such movements. However, the Health Department made another set of protocols for inter-state travellers arriving in Karnataka during ‘Unlock 1.0’ period from June 1.

Those coming to the state would have to mandatorily register themselves on state government’s Seva Sindhu portal, while people at border check-posts, airports, railway stations and bus stands would be screened. People coming from Maharashtra, even if they are asymptomatic would have to be under seven days of institutional quarantine followed by seven days of home quarantine, the order read.

Tests would be conducted on people displaying symptoms. However, these would not be applicable to the special category asymptomatic persons such as those visiting the state in the event of death in the family, pregnant women, children aged below 10 years, elderly aged above 60 years and those withj serious illness and human distress.

Business travellers from Maharashtra would have to establish that they are on a business trip. In case the visitors are coming by road, they would have to provide the address proof of the person in Karnataka they intend to meet, it said.

They would also have to produce COVID-19 negative test certificate, which is not more than two days old. Those without a COVID-19 test certificate would be sent to institutional quarantine centre for two days.

During this period, coronavirus test would be conducted at their own cost and would be exempted from quarantine if they test negative. There will be a three-member team to monitor the home quarantined persons.

Violation of home quarantine norm will attract a police case..