Sudhakar denies restrictions on entry of people from Kerala

Bengaluru: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday sought the urgent intervention of the Centre on the new COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Karnataka government on the entry of people from the State.

However, Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar clarified it has not prohibited inter-state travel between it and Kerala.

"Karnataka has not prohibited inter-state travel between Karnataka and Kerala."

"However, as a precautionary measure, guidelines have been issued that travellers entering Karnataka from Kerala must possess a negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours," Sudhakar said in a tweet with the copy of the Kerala CM's letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and circular issued by the State government.

In a letter to Modi, Vijayan said many people including students, trucks carrying essential commodities and patients going for medical treatment were put to "undue hardship" at the state borders due to the new restrictions.

He also brought to the PM's notice that imposing restrictions of inter-state movement of people by states is contrary to the instructions of the government of India. "I request your urgent intervention in this matter so that hardship of people from Kerala travelling to the neighbouring state of Karnataka can be avoided," Vijayan said.

Karnataka had last week mandated a negative RT-PCR certificate that is not older than 72 hours for those arriving in the State by flights, buses, trains, personal transport from neighbouring Maharashtra and Kerala, following the recent spike in Covid cases there. Sudhakar on Monday too had clarified that Karnataka had not imposed any restrictions on inter-state travel, but mandated RT-PCR certificates not older than 72 hours for those arriving in the state from neighbouring Kerala and Maharashtra.PTI