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Mangaluru/ Bengaluru, May 10: Nearly 11,000 non-resident Kannadigas who are seeking repatriation from various countries across the world should be ready to shell out a huge amount for a two-week private quarantine in Karnataka before reaching their home.

The Kannadigas stranded in Gulf countries including UAE and Saudi Arabia have already expressed shock over the high airfare for repatriation during coronavirus lockdown. Another shocker is heavy quarantine fee once they reach their home state.

Officials in Mangaluru and Bengaluru have confirmed that administration has fixed charges for quarantine facilities starting from Rs 1,200 up to Rs 4,500, including food per day. 14 day quarantine will be mandatory for all healthy and asymptomatic international passengers. Hence, they should be ready to pay Rs 16,800  to Rs 63,000.

The other option is government quarantine centres: hostels run by social welfare, backward classes welfare and minority welfare departments but they are far from satisfactory. This is in stark contrast to the plush government quarantine facilities in Kerala.

In Mangaluru

The first repatriation flight to Mangaluru International Airport is expected to land on Tuesday, May 12 from Dubai.

The quarantine facilities include lodges, hostels and service apartments. Rates are fixed based on four categories: basic, economy, medium and premium. The basic facilities are mainly hostels of educational institutions, and the rest are budget and star hotels, said Rahul Shinde, probationary IAS officer, who is In-charge of the quarantine facilities for those being repatriated.

In Bengaluru

As many as 350 international passengers are set to arrive in Bengaluru at 3 am on Monday, May 11. So far, nobody has opted for government quarantine facilities, according to Lakshman Reddy, Joint Director, Social Welfare Department.

In Bengaluru, there are 55 hostels of the social welfare department, 51 of the backward classes welfare department and 12 of the minority welfare department. “We provide them with three square meals a day,” he added.

Mangaluru, May 5: A day after lockdown was partially relaxed in Dakshina Kannada, a fresh covid-19 positive case was reported today from Boloor area of Mangaluru.

In its fresh bulletin, health and family welfare department today said that the throat swabs of a 51-year-old man from Boloor tested positive for the coronavirus.

Boloor is already declared as corona containment zone in the district after as this is the fourth coronavirus positive case reported from the area.

With this, the total number of coronavirus cases in Dakshina Kannada mounted to 25 including 19 residents of the district and six outsiders who have already left the district after getting treatment.

Bengaluru, May 10 The asymptomatic and healthy people among international passengers will now have to undergo institutional quarantine for 14 days, according to the new standard operating procedure (SoP) issued by the Karnataka government for a third time.

The SoP, which has been revised twice, was issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department on Saturday, May 9.

The international passengers will be divided into two categories upon their arrival at the airports. Symptomatic will be directly sent to the covid-19 hospitals. Asymptomatic will not be allowed to go home directly. They will be sent for mandatory quarantine for 14 days in hotels and guest houses. 

Earlier, international passengers had to undergo seven days of institutional and seven days of home quarantine.

Passengers will also be tested only twice — once on arrival and for the second time on the 14th day — instead of the earlier decision to test thrice. They will be discharged from the facility if they test negative.

The first group of 350 people are expected to arrive from London at 3 am on Monday at the Kempegowda International Airport, said Lakshman Reddy, Joint Director, Social Welfare Department. 

Flights are expected from Singapore on May 13, Jeddah on May 14 and San Francisco on May 15. 

Among the stranded include 4,408 tourists and visitors, 3,084 students, 2,784 migrants and 557 ship crew.