MANGALURU/KASARAGOD: The Dakshina Kannada district administration on Tuesday further tightened the curbs on the entry of Keralites into the state by shutting 24 liquor and toddy shops located along the inter-state border. These waterholes along the porous border are frequented by customers from Kasaragod, said officials.Deputy Commissioner K V Rajendra said these liquor and toddy shops are in Mangaluru, Bantwal, Puttur, and Sullia taluks. He also informed his Kasaragod counterpart Bhandari Swagat Ranveerchand that Kerala patients who are not critically ill would also require RT-PCR test results to enter Karnataka.
On Monday, Karnataka officials allowed patients and students to enter Dakshina Kannada without RT-PCR test results.Meanwhile, residents and representatives of political parties in Kasaragod continued their protests for the second day against the Karnataka government’s decision to make the RT-PCR test mandatory for all commuters from Kerala, irrespective of their vaccination status.
Leaders of the CPM, Congress, IUML, and SDPI blocked the Mangaluru-Kasaragod lane on NH 66 for 30 minutes when Karnataka’s Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) C H Prathap Reddy visited Talappady to review the situation on the border. The blockade triggered a 500-metre-long traffic jam near the toll gate.Karnataka police had rolled in an armoured teargas-spraying vehicle at Thalappady to deter the protesters. However, it was not used.
“The Karnataka government has put a question mark on the efficacy of covid vaccines in India by its decision to insist on RT-PCR test from fully vaccinated people,” said CPM leader K R Jayananda and Congress leader Harshad Vorkady, who were leading the protest. “Even foreign countries accept India’s vaccines and are welcoming Indians who have taken two shots,” said Harshad.
Karnataka ADGP Reddy said the restrictions would continue till the test positivity rate (TPR) came down in Kerala.For those travelling via trains without RT-PCR negative reports, the ADGP said a testing and quarantine centre was started at Mangaluru’s Town Hall. “Officials are trying to reduce the time taken for testing,” he said.