• COVID stickers pasted on vehicles; indelible seal stamped on symptomatic travellers
• Mandatory 14-day quarantine for outside State visitors; asymptomatic persons let off

Mysore/Mysuru: Determined to take stringent measures against spread of Coronavirus infection even after the State Government decided to allow one-time, two-way inter-district passes to facilitate people stranded in other cities to return home, the Mysuru District Administration has intensified checking at its borders and has set up five check-posts.

Check-posts have been set up on Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway between Siddalingapura and Kalasthawadi, one check-post each at Bherya and Bettadapura near Periyapatna, at Mooguru near T. Narasipura and at Koppa near Kushalnagar. Apart from these check-posts, an exclusive health screening centre has been established at the Sathagalli KSRTC Depot where migrant workers, students and others stranded are brought to Mysuru from Bengaluru.

Each person screened

These check-posts have the mandate of screening each vehicle and each passenger and match the details with the inter-district pass issued by the Karnataka Police Department. Along with noting down vehicle details, temperature checking is carried out on each visitor and if there are symptoms – as tested by the health authorities at the check-posts – indelible seal is stamped on the upper palm of symptomatic persons and are advised 14-day quarantine at their respective homes. Asymptomatic persons are let off after pass verification and temperature screening.

At the Siddalingapura check-post, every individual travelling by vehicles is made to get down from the vehicle and undergo body temperature check with the help of thermometers and thermal scanners. Their inter-district passes are checked and matched with vehicle details.

People staying in Mysuru

Those travelling from outside district and want to stay in Mysuru district have to provide their local Mysuru address, locality, phone numbers and a red COVID-19 sticker – with serial numbers and other details — is pasted on such vehicles and they have to undergo compulsory health screening at kiosks set up inside the parking lot and ticket counter of GRS Fantasy Park. Travellers who want to proceed to other districts are let off after checking their vehicle details and thermal screening.

At the kiosk near GRS Fantasy Park, doctors and health staff from Department of Health and Family Welfare record patient details and their health is screened. The visitor is provided a self-declaration form to fill his/her details. Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar visited GRS Fantasy Park this afternoon and supervised the arrangements.

Temperature level

In case the person has a temperature above 37.5°C or is found to be suffering from cold, cough and breathlessness, he/she will be taken to a COVID-19 care centre for isolation and further medical examination. In case they have symptoms of COVID-19, a swab test will be drawn and the patient kept under quarantine till the results are out. If the test comes back positive, he/she will be shifted to the COVID-19 Hospital, and if it is negative, the person will be asked to remain in home quarantine for 14 days.

Mandatory seal for outstation visitors

As per Government order, no seal is put on the upper palm if the travel is within Karnataka and if they have no symptoms. But seal and 14-day quarantine is mandatory to all travellers from outside Karnataka such as Maharashtra, Kerala, Goa and Tamil Nadu even if they do not show symptoms.  

Those who are advised 14-day quarantine are monitored through GPS tracking. Their mobile numbers are subjected to Geo-fencing and they cannot move out of their homes. If they go beyond 100 metres of their homes, officers tracking them will get an alert.

 In all, 26 ‘Quarantine Watch-Up’ teams have been formed in the district to keep track of quarantined persons. Officers from the level of Panchayat Development Officers, Officials from Mysuru City Corporation, Health and Family Welfare and ASHA workers are part of the teams who will keep round-the-clock vigil.