Combating covid: Karnataka CM holds video conference with DCs, SPs

Bengaluru, Jun 4: The Karnataka government has tweaked quarantine requirements for people arriving from Maharashtra, raising the isolation time from a fortnight to three weeks, an official said on Wednesday.

"Returnees from Maharashtra will be sent to institutional quarantine for seven days, followed by 14 days strict home quarantine, total 21 days," tweeted Health Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey.

The 21-day quarantine regimen is for all asymptomatic people returning from Maharashtra, considering most of the Covid cases in Karnataka are having domestic travel history to that state.

If any of the asymptomatic people develop symptoms during the isolation, they will be subjected to a Covid test.

However, some asymptomatic individuals from Maharashtra have been provided some exceptions from the three-week quarantine 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.

"To establish that one is a business visitor, (that) person should show confirmed return flight or train ticket which should not be more than seven days later from the date of arrival," ordered Chief Secretary T.M. Vijay Bhaskar.

Similarly, if a business visitor is arriving on road, he should provide the address proof of the person in Karnataka he intends to meet.

Additionally, such a person should also produce a Covid negative test certificate which is not more than two days old.

"One does not have a Covid negative test certificate such a person should go for institutional quarantine for two days within which Covid test should be conducted at his own cost. After the test result is negative, that person is exempted from quarantine," he said.

However, business travellers have been exempted from hand stamping.

Amending the Sunday orders, Bhaskar, has enhanced the quarantine requirements for Maharashtra returnees.

Many conditions for visitors from other states remain mostly unchanged as notified on Sunday.

Mysuru, Jul 19: Residents in the vicinity of the Chamundeshwari temple alleged VVIP racism against the administration for allowing BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje for a special visit there on Friday.

Even though the district collector had ordered the closure of temple visits due to the COVID pandemic, an exception was made for VVIPs.
The BJP leader claimed that she visited the temple on Thursday evening but the temple officials confirmed that she visited the temple on Friday at 7 am. It is her routine every year to visit the temple on the last Friday of Ashada Masa.

Locals, who tried get darshan of Chamundi Devi, were barred by the police leading to an altercation between locals and cops at the entrance to the temple.

Ashada Masa is considered an auspicious occasion and it is a belief among politicians that for the longevity of their political career, they need to visit Chamundeshwari temple every last Friday of Ashada Masa.

Bengaluru, Apr 28:  Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa today launched a Helpline service for Kannadigas residing outside Karnataka.

On April 24, Dakshina Kannada district in-charge Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary in a letter to the Chief Minister requested a helpline for stranded Kannadigas in Mumbai, other States and other countries.

The helpline will help resolve the problem of stranded Kannadigas across the country. After a request is made, local authorities of the caller will be contacted to provide the required help. The helpline will be operated from Bengaluru and staffed with 50 employees in three shifts.