People wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus walk at a pedestrian crossing in Kochi, Kerala.
The Karnataka government has ordered a mandatory negative RT-PCR Covid test report not older than 72 hours for international arrivals in the state and for students, employees coming from Kerala.
The state government on Wednesday informed that all students & employees coming from Kerala to compulsorily bring negative RT-PCR certificate not older than 72 hours irrespective of their vaccination status. The persons to compulsorily be in institutional quarantine for seven days and to be RT-PCR tested on 7th day.
This comes as Kerala continuous to be Covid cases epicenter with over 30,000 new cases everyday, accounting for more than 50 per cent of national daily new infections.
Earlier in the day, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya spoke with his counterparts in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to take stock of the Covid situation in these states.
As Covid cases are rising in Kerala, he discussed matters related to Covid-19 management in those areas of these two states bordering Kerala, and highlighted the need to take adequate steps to contain inter-state spread of the disease.
Mandaviya also asked the two states Health Ministers to increase the pace of vaccination in their bordering districts, as it forms an integral component of the Centre's five-point strategy to fight the pandemic, which also includes Test, Track, Treat and COVID Appropriate Behaviour.
In a separate development, Mandaviya also reviewed the supply and availability of Covid-related essential medicines across the country.
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