Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has made the COVID-19 negative certificate mandatory for entry to the state. This would be applicable only for people arriving from Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab and Chandigarh from Thursday, March 25. Travellers from these four states must now mandatorily carry a negative RT-PCR test certificate not older than 72 hours while entering Karnataka.
People visiting for a short period of time will also have to follow the fiat.
Employees and students who enter the state for work and study purposes, heavy vehicle drivers and a few others will have to keep the COVID-19 certificate with them for two weeks.
However, exemptions will be given to constitutional functionaries, healthcare professionals, children below the age of two, situations like a death in the family, emergency medical treatment etc. In these cases, the person must submit a swab sample for testing, along with their details, upon arrival in the state.
Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had announced that the COVID-negative certificate was mandatory for people entering the state only from Kerala and Maharashtra.
The precautionary measure has been taken as experts have warned of a possible second wave of the COVID-19 in Karnataka a year after the outbreak.
