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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.

Bengaluru, May 12: In a scathing attack on the ruling BJP in Karnataka and warning the Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa government against any move to amend the Labour laws and APMC through an ordinance, former chief minister and JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday asked Mr Yediyurappa to work in the interest of the people and not to budge under any pressure from the Centre or to please party bosses.

Speaking to media here on Tuesday he questioned the urgency to bring forward such ordinances on important subjects and asked the government to have a public debate on it and also discuss it in the assembly.

“I'm warning the government… I have been watching everything silently till now, I have not caused any embarrassment to the government. I want to tell the government, don’t push us to do it,” Kumaraswamy said

Bengaluru, May 11: Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar today held a video conference with Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja to discuss measures to tackle COVID-19.

The ministers discussed in detail the protocols for testing, quarantine and treatment for COVID-19 that are being followed by both the states.

The Karnataka Health Department on Monday said that 10 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the state, taking the total number of positive cases to 858.

"31 people have lost their lives due to coronavirus in the state and 422 persons have been discharged after recovery," the Health Department added.

Kerala, on the other hand, has tackled the coronavirus crisis better than most other states of the country. There are only 19 active cases of COVID-19 in the state while 489 people have recovered. The death toll in the state is 4, according to the data published by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday.