Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Government relaxes its criterion making COVID negative certificates mandatory for all expatriates returning home.
In the Cabinet meeting held here on Wednesday, the Government has decided to ease the stand and declared that COVID negative certificates are not mandatory for the all Non-Resident Keralites returning home. This comes in as a huge relief for the expats.
Mandatory COVID-free certificate is now applicable only for those coming from countries which have COVID testing facilities.
The expats returning from places with no facility for COVID tests can wear Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits, complete with masks and gloves, throughout their journey to Kerala. It has also been decided in the Cabinet meeting that testing will be done for those persons on reaching Kerala.
The relaxation is effective for the NRKs from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain as these countries lack COVID testing facilities.
However, COVID negative certificate will remain to be a mandatory criterion for those returning from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as COVID testing is available in these countries. Instead of Truant test, antibody testing would be sufficient, the State cabinet has decided.
‘No COVID’ results based on the present testing facilities in the respective countries will be accepted. The mobile applications in certain countries, including Qatar, would also be considered by the State Government.
The State decided to tone down on mandating COVID negative certificate on all returning expats following widespread protests. The Government also considered Centre’s suggestions in the matter.
Secretary-level discussions would be held to facilitate the availability of PPE kits. The government would also consider the extension of the date to produce COVID negative certificate for the expats coming from places with testing facilities.
Considering the current surge in the COVID cases, the Cabinet directed that there should not be any blips or lapses in the precautionary measures in the State.
A recent increase in the incidents of contact spread of COVID in Kerala has been a cause for concern. All directions must be followed strictly.
The District Administrations have been given the onus to decide on more regulations in places that require extra attention. The Cabinet has also sought all political parties to comply with the regulations in their protests.
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