Karnataka decides on only ‘Self quarantine’ for all travellers from June 1
SCENES FROM THE BORDER: Sangeetha returned to Bengaluru through the Attibele border on Thursday. For the past two months, she was stuck in Palakkad while her husband and child were in Bengaluru. She was allowed to return only when she agreed to go into institutional quarantine.
Flights and trains resuming services from June 1
The Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh announced on Thursday thatdomestic airlines will resume operations from Monday, May 25, and there will be no quarantine for passengers taking flights.
Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that bookings for trains will begin from Friday and operations will begin from June 1. The Railways has also said that it is the responsibility of the State governments to manage the health of people reaching their destinations.
With the Centre giving approval to operate regular trains and domestic airlines, the State government is reconsidering its strategy of institutional quarantine. Instead, the government might opt for strict home quarantine with surveillance by local committees.
Medical Education and Covid-19 Minister K Sudhakar on Thursday had called a meeting with experts to understand and assess the situation as institutional quarantine is ruled out when tens of thousands of passengers start entering the State on a daily basis. This could also mean a surge in the number of people getting infected by thenovel Coronavirus .
The government is likely to officially announce home quarantine with enhanced vigilance and surveillance mechanism, Sudhakar told Bangalore Mirror.
Airports across India have made it mandatory for the passengers to download theAarogya Setu app . If the app turns red for any passenger at the time of entering the airport, he/she will be sent back.
Once the trains and airlines begin operations, tens of thousands of people are expected to reach Bengaluru and Karnataka. As of last week, at least 1.9 lakh people stranded elsewhere in the country had registered for passes on the Sevasindu portal to return to Karnataka.
On May 18, while announcing relaxations, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had said that “Institutional quarantine is a must for everyone entering the State,” and made dowloading the Aarogya Setu app a must.
Disapproving the government’s move, Dr Satyanarayana Mysore, HOD department of Pulmonology, Manipal Hospital said that there will be a spread from city to city. ``Imagine that someone who has mild symptoms comes to a destination and becomes symptomatic? Lack of physical distancing will put other passengers at risk. The spread from city to city will not be contained,’’ he said.
Neither facilities, nor people
Karnataka has limited facilities to keep people in institutional quarantine. In Bengaluru, the State had created facilities for 16,000 beds including hostels, schools and 7,000 hotel rooms ranging from five star to budget. Sudhakar said that once the passenger influx increases, ``there will be no institutional quarantine then. To be honest, how can you manage institutional quarantine when there are lakhs of people coming in every day,’’ he asked.
Yediyurappa had said that the government would allow entry of people depending on the availability of quarantine facilities.
More tests, strong surveillance
The Minister said that they would increase tests and surveillance. ``We should ensure strict vigilance on home quarantine besides an improved and strong surveillance system,’’ he said.
Sudhakar, a medical doctor by profession said that ``We should test more. At least one lakh tests a day.’’ The government is creating more than 60 Covid-19 labs by the end of this month. ``As on Thursday, the government had set up 53 labs. I had assured that we would set up at least 60 by end of May. Now it will be more than that,’’ Sudhakar said.
Asked how the government plans to ensure that those home quarantined will follow the rules strictly, the Minister said that he plans to have twin strategy - one for rural areas and the other for urban centres. “Surveillance committees at Gram Panchayat levels and Ward level panels in urban areas are being planned to ensure that everyone follows home quarantine strictly,’’ he said adding that strong surveillance is the only way to keep the pandemic under check.
The Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh announced on Thursday that
Is this the end of institutional quarantine?
With the Centre giving approval to operate regular trains and domestic airlines, the State government is reconsidering its strategy of institutional quarantine. Instead, the government might opt for strict home quarantine with surveillance by local committees.
How to manage institutional quarantine when lakhs of people are coming in every day? We should test more. At least a lakh per day.
Medical Education and Covid-19 Minister K Sudhakar on Thursday had called a meeting with experts to understand and assess the situation as institutional quarantine is ruled out when tens of thousands of passengers start entering the State on a daily basis. This could also mean a surge in the number of people getting infected by the
The government is likely to officially announce home quarantine with enhanced vigilance and surveillance mechanism, Sudhakar told Bangalore Mirror.
Airports across India have made it mandatory for the passengers to download the
Once the trains and airlines begin operations, tens of thousands of people are expected to reach Bengaluru and Karnataka. As of last week, at least 1.9 lakh people stranded elsewhere in the country had registered for passes on the Sevasindu portal to return to Karnataka.
On May 18, while announcing relaxations, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had said that “Institutional quarantine is a must for everyone entering the State,” and made dowloading the Aarogya Setu app a must.
Travellers to Gorakhpur line up outside Majestic Railway Station on Thursday. Social distancing norms went for a toss
Disapproving the government’s move, Dr Satyanarayana Mysore, HOD department of Pulmonology, Manipal Hospital said that there will be a spread from city to city. ``Imagine that someone who has mild symptoms comes to a destination and becomes symptomatic? Lack of physical distancing will put other passengers at risk. The spread from city to city will not be contained,’’ he said.
Neither facilities, nor people
Karnataka has limited facilities to keep people in institutional quarantine. In Bengaluru, the State had created facilities for 16,000 beds including hostels, schools and 7,000 hotel rooms ranging from five star to budget. Sudhakar said that once the passenger influx increases, ``there will be no institutional quarantine then. To be honest, how can you manage institutional quarantine when there are lakhs of people coming in every day,’’ he asked.
Yediyurappa had said that the government would allow entry of people depending on the availability of quarantine facilities.
More tests, strong surveillance
The Minister said that they would increase tests and surveillance. ``We should ensure strict vigilance on home quarantine besides an improved and strong surveillance system,’’ he said.
Sudhakar, a medical doctor by profession said that ``We should test more. At least one lakh tests a day.’’ The government is creating more than 60 Covid-19 labs by the end of this month. ``As on Thursday, the government had set up 53 labs. I had assured that we would set up at least 60 by end of May. Now it will be more than that,’’ Sudhakar said.
Asked how the government plans to ensure that those home quarantined will follow the rules strictly, the Minister said that he plans to have twin strategy - one for rural areas and the other for urban centres. “Surveillance committees at Gram Panchayat levels and Ward level panels in urban areas are being planned to ensure that everyone follows home quarantine strictly,’’ he said adding that strong surveillance is the only way to keep the pandemic under check.
