On one side Indian skies are buzzing with flights after a long gap, whereas on the other, Karnataka’s presumed ban on flights has left stranded travellers dazed. Sources say that 82% of new COVID-19 cases in Karnataka are a result of interstate travel resumption. Could this be why Karnataka is rethinking its standard operating procedure for entry?
Partly. Karnataka CM B. S. Yediyurappa cleared the air around flight ban by tweeting that they are in talks with the Central Govt. to limit the number of incoming flights only from states with a higher number of active COVID-19 cases.
Thus, the Karnataka state government restricts flights from five states namely Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. and restricts movement by road from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. The updated protocol doesn’t apply to trains, however, and they will continue to operate like before. At first, Karnataka enforced only a 7-day mandatory quarantine rule for asymptomatic travellers as it had relatively lesser cases than the other states. But things took a turn and Karnataka is now clearly concerned about the new spike brought forth by incoming travel. Read if ePass is required
Not only did the sudden surge in the number of incoming travellers increase the pressure on the testing teams and quarantine facilities, but also led to the highest number of cases recorded on a single day after flight resumption. The new protocol will help ease the situation and give Karnataka the breathing time to tighten its recovery measures, says J. C. Madhu Swamy, Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs.
Read more: Is e-pass required for domestic flight travel?
