Karnataka puts on hold mandatory RT-PCR rule for commuters from Kerala

A week after making negative RT-PCR test reports mandatory for travellers from Kerala, the administration of Karnataka's border district Dakshina Kannada’s Deputy Commissioner announced temporary suspension of the order.

“Students, emergency vehicles and those who are working on daily wages will be allowed to come to Karnataka without restrictions, Deputy Commissioner K Rajendra said.

The district administration has set up mobile testing centres at the border checkpoints and more than 1,000 samples have been collected so far from these centres after a pike in Cvid-19 cases in Kerala. Similarly, health department officials have been sent to various colleges in Mangaluru to test students coming from the neighbouring state.

While the protest from commuters and the difficulties in implementation led to the suspension of travel restrictions, the interdependence between Kerala’s Kasaragod and Dakshina Kannada’s district headquarters Mangaluru has fuelled resistance to such restrictions.

For the residents of Kasaragod, Mangaluru city is a lifeline. Even though Mangaluru and Kasaragod are on either side of a map, they are closely knit, say local residents. “Mangaluru, which is referred to as Mangalapuram in Kerala, is the closest city to Kasaragod. From anywhere in Kasaragod, Mangaluru is just 10-50 km away. At the same, the closest city in Kerala, which is Kannur, is more than 100 km away,” Prakash Manjeshwar, a resident of Manjeshwaram in the northern tip of Kasargod.

The residents in and around Kasaragod have been thronging Mangaluru for decades for treatment at the speciality hospitals and for education.

“Kasaragod doesn't have many good hospitals, schools or colleges. Mangaluru is the only option for us. Because of this, people in and around Kasaragod had struggled a lot during the initial days of the lockdown when the Karnataka authorities restricted travel, especially for those with medical conditions,” said Krishna Kishore, who runs a business in Mangaluru and lives in Kasaragod.

Even for Mangaluru, the visitors from Kasaragod are crucial for the local economy. “Most of the hospitals get their patients and colleges get their students from across the border. But most importantly, the workforce for the factories, commercial establishments and other offices come from Kasaragod. Putting any restrictions on travel, like they are doing in Bengaluru is not possible because of these reasons,” said an official of the district admiration, who did not want to be named.

After Karnataka passed an order for all passengers from Kerala to produce a negative RT-PCR test taken not more than 72 hours before commencement of the journey to Karnataka, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, complaining that the restrictions on inter-state movement of people was contrary to the Centre’s instructions.

In response, Health Minister K Sudhakar said that Karnataka had not prohibited inter-state travel between the two states and only demanded a negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours.

Krishnamurthy Niduvje, a resident of Kasaragod said that there were only three hospitals that conducted RT-PCR tests in his district and the closest place for him to get a test was in Mangaluru.

“There are thousands of people who work in Mangaluru and live in Kasaragod. For all of them to get tested every fourth day, in just three hospitals in Kasaragod is not practical. The functioning of companies will be affected by such a decision,” he said.

People in the district administration familiar with the development said they plan to resume the negative test certificate by the end of the week.