Bengaluru  Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said stringent precautions have been undertaken in the border districts of the state as part of the plans to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19.

 

An increase in the number of cases has been noticed among the paramedical staff and students who arrived from Kerala. Following this, stricter precautions are being followed in Dakshina Kannada, Madikeri, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru districts bordering Kerala.

Those arriving from Kerala would be allowed only with RT-PCR negative report. It is also mandatory for them to have double dose of vaccination before entering Karnataka, Bommai told the media persons.

Referring to the scare created by Omicron, the new variant of Covid, Bommai said: "The new variant has been reported in South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana. The World Health Organization has also issued an alert about the new strain of the virus. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too has issued guidelines to prevent and control the new variant. However, no cases of the new strain has been reported in Karnataka."

As for the spike in Covid cases reported in student hostels in Dharwad, Mysuru and Bengaluru, Bommai said, that these hostels and colleges had been declared as Containment Zones and students were being subjected to Covid test. Doctors and nurses are also being tested in these colleges.

Those arriving from the countries which have reported the new strain are being compulsorily tested at the airports and they would be allowed into the cities only if they are found negative.

Those who test positive would be shifted to the containment zone. "We have requested the union government to ban the arrival of passengers from the 3 three countries which have reported the new strain," Bommai said.

Replying to a question about the proposal on the Booster dose of vaccine for the frontline workers, the Chief Minister said that the state government has already written to the Centre seeking permission for administering the Booster dose.

The state government had made double dose of vaccination compulsory for those working in government offices, malls, cinema halls and other public places.

Testing has been intensified in border districts, students who have arrived in the last 16 days from Kerala would be tested again 7 days after they get a negative report, Bommai said.