Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar said Thursday that all passengers traveling to Bangalore, from any state in India, will be required to submit a negative RT-PCR report. Addressing journalists, the minister said that this guideline will apply only to the boundaries of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
For the rest of the state, a negative RT-PCR test report is mandatory only for those arriving from Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, and Kerala. Sudhakar said the decision was made to expand these regulations to all travelers as Bengaluru has been reporting the highest number of cases in the state.
Stating that 60 percent of Bengaluru’s cases have a history of interstate travel, Sudhakar said the government is planning to reactivate the handprinting of those who have to undergo home isolation. “Many young people who are supposed to undergo home isolation walk freely because they are asymptomatic. We need to stop this, ”he said.
The government has also decided to bring back the Quarantine Watch app, which was suspended after the state witnessed a drop in cases, to monitor those in home isolation.
On Wednesday, the Karnataka government had proposed imposing strict fines on establishments, such as hotels, department stores and organizers of public events, as well as other venues that host large gatherings, that do not enforce security protocols.
According to the nightly order issued by the state government on Wednesday, a fine of ₹5,000-10,000 has been proposed in all establishments that do not enforce appropriate Covid-19 security protocols, such as wearing masks and maintaining physical distance.
“The owners of the establishment will be responsible for: a) ensuring the mandatory use of masks and social distancing; b) impose restrictions on the number of people that will be allowed, ”the order said.
The government has capped the number of wedding attendees at 500 in open spaces and 200 in closed areas, the number should be between 50 and 100 for birthday parties and funerals, depending on whether they are held indoors or outdoors. The government has restricted the number of attendees to religious and political events to 500.
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