Kerala govt in talks with airlines, embassies to get TrueNat COVID testing kits for NRKs

In view of the Coronavirus crisis, the Kerala government is in talks with the airline companies and Embassies in several Gulf countries in order to make the 'TruNat' COVID-19 testing kits available for testing the non-resident Keralites (NRKs) before they start their flight journey. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinaryayi Vijayan said that some Gulf countries have no facility for rapid tests. 

He said, "The Kerala government will make available TrueNat kits in these places. This requires the cooperation of the airline companies and the permission of the Indian Embassies in the respective countries and the discussions are going on. There are already testing facilities in the UAE and Qatar. So, these kits will be useful in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman to facilitate the testing of expatriates returning from these countries." 

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Meanwhile, till now, as many as 2,79,657 people have returned to Kerala from other states and abroad. Reportedly, out of the total returnees, 1,72 people were tested positive for Coronavirus. Further, out of the total positive people, 669 cases were those who came back from foreign countries and 503 in those who arrived from other states.

Read: Expats must take COVID-19s test before flying to Kerala: CM

COVID-19 in Kerala

On Thursday, around 97 new COVID-19 cases in Kerala have been confirmed, while as many as 89 patients who were undergoing the Coronavirus treatment have been recovered. Meanwhile, one death was reported, taking the death toll in the state to 21. Currently, Kerala has a total of 1,351 active COVID-19 cases. 

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(With ANI Inputs)