Karnataka: No more 14-day quarantine, medical check-up for inter-state passengers. Details here

Bengaluru, Aug 24: Karnataka government Monday issued fresh guidelines for inter-state passengers amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the unlock 3 rules provided by the Centre, the state government emphasised that there would be no restrictions on inter-state movement of people or goods. Apart from that, the BS Yediyurappa-led government listed several changes for the people entering the state via road, rail or air. "This revised Circular shall apply to all Inter-State Travellers arriving in Karnataka from all States/UTs including business travellers, students, labourers coming for work transit, travellers, etc. irrespective of their purpose duration of stay in the State," the statement added. Now, the state government has discontinued registration on Seva Sindhu portal, hand stamping, 14-day quarantine and medical check-up at State borders, bus stations, railway stations and airports. It also added that there would be no isolation and testing or categorization of passengers as well as there would be no screening or testing of the passengers at the entry of the districts. Enforcement of home quarantine including poster on home door information to neighbours/ Resident Welfare Association/Apartment Owners' Associations, monitoring from Panchayat/ward level teams, flying Squad, IVRS call-centre outbound calls and quarantine watch app monitoring will also be done away with, the latest guidelines stated. The order further stated that if the person is asymptomatic on arrival, they can report to work or perform their activities in the state without any home quarantine. “However, they shall self-monitor their health for 14-days from the date of their arrival for any symptoms of Covid-19 like fever, cough, cold, throat pain, difficulty in breathing, etc. and immediately seek medical consultation without fail or call Apthamitra helpline 14410," the government said in its order. If the patient is symptomatic at arrival, they shall immediately seek isolation and seek medical consultation without fail or call Apthamitra helpline 14410. They shall observe standard COVID-19 precautions like compulsory wearing of face mask, physical distancing of 2 meters (or 6 feet), frequent hand-washing with soap and water or use of hand sanitize, follow cough etiquette, etc while in public areas and workplaces. "The District Health Authority / BBMP shall suitably and appropriately plan IEC campaign for the incoming travellers about the importance of self-reporting, self-isolation and COVID-19 testing of symptomatic person" the order stated. Meanwhile, Karnataka on Monday reported 5,851 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total infection count to 2,83,665, while the virus-related fatalities reached 4,810 with 130 deaths. The day also saw 8,061 people getting discharged after recovering, taking the total number of recoveries since the outbreak to 1,97,625. There are currently 81,211 active cases in the southern state, out of which 768 are in ICU. Bengaluru Urban accounted for the maximum numbers of fresh cases reported at 1,981, taking the city's tally to 1,09793. (Source: LiveMint)