Published 21:51 IST, August 24th 2020
Karnataka relaxes inter-state movement; revokes quarantine, isolation, testing travellers
Relaxing inter-state travel across the state, Karnataka government on Monday, issued revised guidelines after MHA's direction to not restrict movement of people
Relaxing inter-state travel across the state, Karnataka government on Monday, issued revised guidelines after MHA's direction to not restrict movement of goods and people. As per new guidelines, Karnataka has discontinued registration on Seva Sindhu, medical check-up at state borders, screening at recieving centres, hand-stamping, 14-day quarantine, isolation and testing and enforcing home quarantine. The government has advised travellers to self-monitor oneself for 14 days if asymptomatic and to self-isolate if symptomatic following COVID-19 protocols.
Karnataka relaxes inter-state regulations
MHA order states' to ensure free movement of goods & people
On Saturday, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla in a letter addressed to the chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories, asked them to ensure that there are no restrictions on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods during the ongoing unlock phases. He said that there were reports that local-level restrictions on movement were being imposed by various districts and states, impacting supply chains, resulting in disruption of economic activity and employment. He said the restrictions imposed by the states and districts amount to a violation of guidelines issued by the MHA under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Karnataka's COVID battle
Karnataka which was initially hailed as a model to battle COVID successfully, saw Bengaluru become the worst-hit metro city in India, clocking over 2000 cases per day, forcing it to impose a week-long lockdown from July 14- July 22. Bengaluru, which was hailed for its scientific approach and excellent contact tracing, has seen a sharp surge in cases, inching closer towards Mumbai's active case tally. The state has 83,567 active cases and 1,89,564 recoveries with 4863 fatalities.
Karnataka's recent rise in COVID-19 cases were mainly due to - Dip in rate of testing increase, Complacency in lockdown, Politics between Karnataka government and BBMP,Relaxation in contact tracing and Influenza cases' rise. As India opened up, experts in Bengaluru expected a surge in Influenza cases, triggered due to the onset of monsoon. Experts are expanding their random testing, as health experts believed that they are in the community transmission stage in June. As per the city's COVID dashboard, 7% of the city's Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI), above primary contact - which is only in 5% of the cases.
Updated 21:51 IST, August 24th 2020