The Andhra Pradesh government has altered its quarantine policy for people travelling to the state. According to the new guidelines, Telangana and Karnataka are now included in the ‘high-risk’ category, in view of the rising COVID-19 infections in both states.
This means that travellers from Telangana and Karnataka will no longer be able to move freely into Andhra Pradesh. They will now have to undergo mandatory screening like travellers from other high risk regions, state COVID-19 Nodal Officer Arja Srikanth said. “After applying for the travel pass on the Spandana website, and can enter the state after showing the pass on their phones,” he said, adding that all incoming travellers from Telangana and Karnataka will now be screened for symptoms. “Those who show COVID-19 symptoms will be sent to quarantine,” he said.
Previously, the high-risk category included Delhi, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, he added.
As of Tuesday, a total of 655 people who travelled to Andhra Pradesh from Telangana since inter-state travel has been permitted, have tested positive for coronavirus. From Karnataka, 83 people have been found to have COVID-19 after travelling to Andhra Pradesh.
According to earlier guidelines issued in May for travellers from high risk areas, symptomatic persons would be sent to the nearest institutional quarantine centre, where they would be kept for seven days and tested twice within the period. If tested negative, they would be sent to observe home quarantine for seven more days. For asymptomatic people, the same would be done at quarantine centres in their home district.
As per the new guidelines, all foreign returnees will be prescribed a uniform institutional quarantine of seven days.
A COVID-19 test might be conducted on foreign returnees between the 5th and 7th day upon arrival, and, based on the result, follow up action be initiated, the guidelines said. Of all the people coming into the state by air, rail and road, 10 percent of them will be tested on a random basis.
All the persons coming from other states will be asked to undergo strict home quarantine for 14 days.
Meanwhile, the AP State Road Transport Corporation has announced that it was cancelling over 150 inter-state services to Bengaluru, in view of the lockdown being imposed in Bengaluru from July 15 to 23
The guidelines also directed that admission in the institutional quarantine centers be strictly restricted to primary contacts of positive cases who cannot be under home quarantine. Primary contacts who can remain under quarantine for 14 days will be allowed to do so after the facilities are assessed by a medical officer.
PTI Inputs