COVID-19 test may become compulsory for those wishing to visit the Mysuru palace even as the Department of Health and Family Welfare has deployed testing teams at the city’s popular tourist destination for subjecting visitors to the test using the RT-PCR and the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) methods.
Though the test to all visitors is not mandatory as of now, it may become compulsory even as the department was insisting on the test to those having symptoms and tourists from other States.
Such tests may also be expanded to the visitors of other prominent tourist destinations in the city, including the zoo, soon as a measure to bring the pandemic under control.
Mysuru District Vector Borne Diseases Control Officer Chidambar said nearly 200-300 tests were being conducted for the visitors at the palace since the last four days. All visitors are being screened and anybody with COVID-19 like symptoms are told to undergo the test if they wish to visit the palace.
“We are persuading even travellers from other States to take the test as a precaution to contain the spread and keep the possibilities of a second wave of infection at bay.”
Initially, the RATs were conducted. Now RT-PCR swab test had also been started, as it was a confirmatory test. In the case of PCR, the details of tourists such as phone numbers and the addresses are collected since the PCR result would take at least 48 hours.
Dr. Chidambar said more testing teams would be deployed at the sites for faster swab collection and testing. The system of mass testing will also be expanded to the industries in Mysuru shortly.
To a question, Dr. Chidambar said some positive cases, including visitors from other States, were detected during the free testing at the palace, and steps were taken to ensure that the infection does not spread from such persons.
