BENGALURU: With Covid-19 cases declining, the Karnataka government on Monday announced that checking of RT-PCR reports of international travelers on arrival at airports in Karnataka will be discontinued with immediate effect.
This was among several Covid-related restrictions eased in the state.
After considering the consistent decline in the number of daily Covid cases, test positivity rate, and overall decline in active cases, the state’s technical advisory committee had recommended for opening up of more activities in the state, on October 17.
In an order issued on Monday, chief secretary P Ravi Kumar said that henceforth checking of Covid RT-PCR test reports of international passengers on arrival will be discontinued. Instead, the passengers will have to mandatorily upload their RT-PCR reports on Air Suvidha Portal and respective airlines will have to check the same the passengers are allowed to board the flight.
Also, international passengers will not be checked for oxygen saturation levels unless he or she shows symptoms like fever, cough, cold and difficulty in breathing. The order has also directed the reorganising of the monitoring of passengers via automated thermal cameras.
The order said that with respect to the protocol of quarantine for arrivals from the United Kingdom, the prevailing guidelines issued by the Union ministry concerned will be followed. It added that a clarification regarding the same will be issued by the health and family welfare department.
Pools to open, only double jabbed can swim:
For the first time since the pandemic broke out in March 2020, swimming pools in Karnataka will be opened for recreational purposes. It may be recalled that, except for athletes to train, swimming pools remained closed for the public.
Now, swimming pools are permitted to operate albeit with certain conditions such allowing only 50% of the capacity in each batch and providing for a display of the number allowable in each batch. Only those who have received two doses of Covid vaccines will be allowed to take the plunge.
Only asymptomatic persons will be allowed inside the pool, and at the entry level, everyone will be screened for fever and respiratory symptoms.
The government has mandated that after every batch, the rest rooms, walkways, and other common areas used by the swimmers shall be disinfected using 1% sodium hypochlorite solution.
