MANGALURU: In the wake of many students from Kerala testing positive for Covid-19 in Mangaluru, the Dakshina Kannada district administration has asked colleges to ensure that students from the neighbouring state get a Covid test done every 15 days.Rules up to the present mandated that students only get a Covid test done when they first report to college. Rules, however, were changed as thousands of students commute between Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka and Kasargod district in Kerala each day.
DC K V Rajendra said colleges should take the SOP very seriously and get students’ Covid negative reports once every 15 days. “If they ignore it and if 20 positive cases are found in a college, we will seal it,” he warned. He also said officials plan to test on students hailing from Kerala in their respective colleges even if they have produced negative reports from their home state.
Kasargod is reporting 90-100 positive cases each day, which is a matter of concern as nearly 10,000 people commute between Kasaragod and Mangaluru daily. Colleges must insist on RT-PCR tests, the DC said.
As per the SOP, students entering the district from outside the state have to get an RT-PCR test in their home state and submit the negative test report within 72 hours to the college where they study.
The DC said notices will be issued to colleges that do not insist on RT-PCR tests.DHO Dr Ramachandra Bayary said he will request the Health Department commissioner to write a letter to the Kerala government on the need for students getting an RT-PCR test done.
Don't let guard down, says Sudhakar
bengaluru: After 49 students in Mangaluru tested positive, Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar took to Twitter to appeal to people not to lower their guard. “The news of 49 students testing positive in a nursing college in Ullal near Mangaluru is a grim reminder of how unpredictable the Covid virus is! Covid is still a threat, please continue to take necessary precautions,” Health and Medical Education Minister Sudhakar K tweeted on Thursday.
All the students who tested positive were BSc nursing students who had returned to college for examinations after a months-long break, said Dakshina Kannada District Health Officer Dr H Ashok. A total of 104 samples were tested. Health experts also urged people to continue to wear masks, maintain distance, and wash hands regularly.