Registration, screening, quarantine for people entering Karnataka

Bengaluru

Mandatory registration on Seva Sindhu portal, health screening and select quarantining norms have been ordered for all inter-state travellers arriving in Karnataka from Monday, as part of phased reopening or relaxation of Covid lockdown norms, an official said on Sunday.

"Mandatory self-registration on seva sindhu portal by all travellers before entering Karnataka," ordered Health and Family Welfare Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey.

Every person visiting the state from Monday has to enter his name, address and mobile phone number, however, no approval is required to enter the state.

Similarly, all incoming passengers will be made to undergo health screening at the state border check-posts, airports, railway stations and bus stations.

All business visitors should provide their details while transit travellers must submit the address in the destination state, along with indicating the exit-check post from Karnataka.

"Home quarantine hand stamping on hand for 14-days period as per quarantine norms," said Pandey, which will be determined on the basis of health screening.

All Covid symptomatic passengers arriving from any state will be quarantined for a week at hospital, followed by another week's quarantining at home.

"Test immediately on arrival, if positive, shift to dedicated Covid hospital. If negative, no further test required," he said.

In the light of majority of positive cases in the state occurring in people with domestic travel history to Maharashtra, the health department made separate protocol for people arriving from that state.

All asymptomatic passengers coming from Maharashtra will be subjected to a week's institutional quarantine, followed by another week at home quarantine.

If any passenger develops Covid symptoms during the fortnightly quarantine, they will be made to undergo a test.

However, some asymptomatic individuals from Maharashtra have been provided some exceptions and designated as special category passengers.

Special category passengers include people who suffered a death in family, pregnant women, children below 10, elderly people above 60, individuals suffering from serious illness and human distress.

Similarly, the department has also made some provisions for business travellers from Maharashtra.

Likewise, anybody arriving from Maharashtra with a Covid negative test certificate from an ICMR approved laboratory will be waived of seven days institutional quarantine.

"All travellers from Maharashtra who come with Covid negative test certificate from an ICMR approved lab which is not more than two days old from the date of arrival are exempted from seven days institutional quarantine," said Pandey.

Such passengers will be sent to a fortnightly home quarantine.

Likewise, if someone is a transit traveller from Maharashtra, such persons should establish that they are so by producing a flight or travel ticket for onward journey.

"In case one is travelling by road, he should provide the identity proof and address proof of destination state. Such travellers should be hand stamped if travelling by road as 'Transit Traveller'," said Pandey.

In case of people from other states, all of them will be subjected to 14-days home quarantine.

"For persons where home quarantine is not possible, then institutional quarantine should be done, especially when we have large family or no separate room for home quarantine," he said.

Similarly, institutional quarantining will also be prescribed for passengers from slums or overcrowded places where home quarantining is not possible.

The health department has also listed norms for business and transit travellers from other states.

Listing out some general rules for all people under home quarantine, the health commissioner divided them into people falling in rural areas and in urban areas.

In rural areas, gram panchayat task force will carry out the overall responsibility of ensuring home quarantine.

Common home quarantine protocols in both places include posters notifying home quarantine on the door, information to neighbours, 3-member monitoring teams, flying squads, IVRS call centre outbound calls and quarantine watch app for daily self-monitoring among others.

All those people who are in home quarantine or otherwise, should call 24x7 helpline Apthamitra in the event of developing any symptoms at 14410.

"To get telemedicine help and be directed to fever clinics for further assessment and Covid test," added Pandey.