Fresh Restrictions Imposed in Karnataka Amid Omicron Threat | Full List

• Karnataka Lockdown Update: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai hinted at implementing more restrictions to reduce the spread of the strain

Bengaluru: To combat the spread of Omicron variant, the BS Bommai-led Karnataka government has reimposed stringent precautions in the state, especially across the border districts like Dakshina Kannada, Madikeri, Chamarajanagar, and Mysuru. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai hinted at implementing more restrictions to reduce the spread of the strain. “Instructions have been given to increase the number of tests per day. The Health Minister will be holding a meeting with officials and experts, the outcome of which will be shared with me, following which we may take certain decisions keeping in view the current circumstances,” Bommai stated.

Full list of restrictions imposed in Karnataka So Far

• Those arriving from Kerala would be allowed only with RT-PCR negative reports.
• It is also mandatory for Keralites to have a double dose of vaccination before entering Karnataka.
• International passengers can step out from Airports only with a negative test report.
• On international arrivals, if tested positive, the sample will be sent to genomic sequencing and they will be admitted to a separate isolation facility. Flyers will be discharged at the discretion of the treating physician if the genomic sequencing is negative for B.1.1.529 (Omicron variant).
• For travelers coming from countries excluding those enlisted as countries at-risk, a random sample of five per cent of travellers with negative results will undergo RT-PCR testing on arrival. If tested positive, their samples will be sent to genomic sequencing.
• All social & cultural events, conferences, seminars, academic events, etc. in educational institutions are expected to postponed for 2 months.
• Conferences, seminars academic events, etc in educational institutions wherever possible may be postponed. Alternatively, it could be conducted in hybrid mode.

Omicron in Karnataka

Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar would chair a with the officers of his department, from the Principal Secretary to the Primary Health Centre level doctors, and might take a decision on imposing further curbs. Members of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on COVID-19 would also take part in the meeting. The meeting comes after the sample of one of the two persons who arrived in Bengaluru recently from South Africa appeared ‘different from the Delta variant’. “There is a delta variant for the past nine months only, but you are saying that one of the samples is Omicron. I cannot say about it officially. I am in touch with the ICMR and central government officials,” Sudhakar told reporters today. The ICMR report on the sample is expected in the next two to three days. (Source: India.com)