Kerala mandates 14-day quarantine for passengers travelling from 'at risk' countries

Considering the threat of the Omicron variant, Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Monday, November 29, said that passengers travelling from 'At Risk' countries have to quarantine for 14 days when they enter the state. George stated that as per the Union government guidelines, people who test positive will be moved to a treatment Centre, set up by the state government. 

Kerala Health Minister said, "All those who are travelling from at-risk countries have to be in quarantine for seven days. They have to do the RT-PCR test again on the 8th day & if they're negative they still have to observe further isolation of seven days. So, they've to be in quarantine for 14 days."

She added, 'As per guidelines of Govt of India, we discussed the steps we've taken so far & what steps are to be taken. Our health workers will be there at all four airports, data will be collected and we'll share this with the Police Dept and all."

George said that the state will follow the guidelines underlined by the Central government including this that five per cent of passengers coming from other countries will be tested randomly at the airport and handed over to the departments concerned, to ensure home quarantine and contact tracing.

Stating that the guidelines are briefed to all the district authorities, she mentioned, "We have analysed all this and informed all our DMOs, DPMs etc. We have communicated with the districts. So, we'll be doing it."

COVID situation in Kerala

As of November 29, Kerala has reported 3,382 new COVID-19 cases with 5,779 recoveries, and 59 deaths in the last 24 hours. To date, the state has reported a total of 51.3 lakh COVID-19 cases with 39,838 deaths. 

The state has administered a total of 4,28,73,756 COVID vaccine doses across 1,095 vaccination sites. 

Karnataka Govt Issues New SOPs In Districts Bordering Kerala

Referring to the increase in COVID-19 cases reported among the paramedical staff and students arriving from Kerala, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had told the media, "Stringent precautions were being taken in Dakshina Kannada, Madikeri, Chamarajanagar, and Mysuru districts bordering Kerala."

He further mentioned that passengers travelling from Kerala must carry a negative RT-PCR report to enter Karnataka. This rule is also applicable to those who have received both doses of the COVID vaccine. 

(With ANI inputs)

Image: Facebook/@VeenaGeorge, PTI, Shutterstock