Covid Negative Certificates Mandatory For All Keralites Returning Home

The Kerala government on Wednesday decided to make COVID negative certificates mandatory for all expatriates returning to Kerala.

The state had earlier pitched for COVID negative certificates only for passengers of chartered flights but the cabinet has now decided to make it mandatory for all inbound flights.

The state will demand the Centre to conduct Truenat Rapid Test for everyone before boarding the flights. The embassies in the concerned country have to arrange this facility at the airports, the state government requested the centre. With the facility, results will be known in an hour. Only those who test negative will be allowed to fly, Kerala will tell Centre.

As per this new directive, any stranded Indian passengers travelling from Kuwait to Kerala on Vande Bharat Mission flights will also have to mandatorily do Covid-19 test apart from those flying in chartered flights.

According to a letter Kerala's Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sent to centre, he requests to direct Indian embassies abroad to facilitate cheap or free tests for expatriates wishing to return to Kerala. However, it is unclear how embassies would source large numbers of RT-PCR or antibody test kits.

The state government had earlier said that COVID negative certificate is mandatory for those coming only on chartered flights. Huge protest had surfaced against this order. Following this government had taken a step back. However, with the COVID-19 cases increasing in the state, the government had decided to make it mandatory for all expats coming to state by flights.

 

SOURCE : IIK

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