Kerala Positive; Fresh guidelines for travel from outside the state

With interstate movement allowed and relaxations announced, the Kerala Government has come up with fresh guidelines for the smooth movement of passengers coming from the other states.

With respect to road travel, the new guideline stipulates that permission from the destination District Collector has to be obtained by submitting information related to accompanying members in Covid19Jagratha.  They have to select the check post entry date depending on queue and the maximum limit allowed on a particular day.

The other guidelines with respect to Road transport are:

1. Even if a person does not have a NORKA registration ID, a person wishing to travel should apply in Covid19Jagratha. In the present practice, the entry passes for members of a group proposing to travel together in a vehicle is being approved by District Collectors of the districts where each person proposes to go. This occasionally creates a situation where one or more members do not get passes or members getting passes for entry on different dates. Accordingly, now it is modified as, one of the persons in the group who is applying for passes can enter the registration numbers of all the group members in the prescribed /given box in the application for passes and submit the request. If the persons travelling in a group is having destinations to more than one district, the District Collector of the district to which the group leader has submitted the application shall issue the entry passes for all the members of the group. Verification through LSGI shall be done by the DCs concerned.

• . After submitting the required information the details will be verified for the genuineness of the request and travel permit will be issued with a QR Code in your registered mobile number and email.
• Travellers can use own vehicle or rented vehicle for travelling to their home. If persons in the group have already obtained passes for entry on different dates, they can come on any day granted for the fellow traveller, if the vehicle number is same.
• The District Collectors shall allow entry after verifying the vehicle number in each passes.
• Necessary permission, if any, required from the State where the persons are presently located need to be taken for ensuring a smooth journey till Kerala border.
• All people have to enter through check posts notified by the State and will undergo medical screening for symptoms. To reduce crowding at the check posts, daily entry will be limited to a fixed number which will be decided by the District Administration where the check post is located.
• One is requested to start the journey only after receiving the travel permit from the Government of Kerala and the local authority of the present location to avoid any problem during travel. Those who reach at the check post without passes will not be allowed entry.
• One should carry the permit for verification by the enforcement squads at the check posts.
• To maintain social distancing norms, only 4 persons will be permitted to travel in a car, 5 in an SUV, 10 in a van and 25 in a bus. The maximum number of passengers in a van /bus will be half of the seating capacity). Keep sanitizer, use masks and maintain physical distancing throughout journey.
• State Government permits the use of a pre–arranged vehicle for picking up anyone arriving from other states in rented/owned vehicle. The vehicles coming from outside can be sent back and the vehicle from inside Kerala can be used for transportation up to home by such passenger/s. Only driver shall be allowed to come for picking up and he shall also undergo quarantine specified by the Health Department. Those who travel to the Border to pick the relatives can obtain a pass from their District Collector by applying for an “Emergency Travel pass” in covid19 jagaratha.
• An exit and entry pass/passes shall be issued by the District Collectors to those persons who seek to go outside states to bring back their stranded child/ children, spouse and parent/s. It must be ensured that entry passes for such person must contain the detail/s of such family member/s whom he is intending to bring back. The journey outside the state will be subject to approval by the counterpart state/s and entry inside on return will be subject to observance of procedure prescribed for medical screening, quarantine, etc.
• All persons have to undergo medical screening for any symptoms of COVID-19. Asymptomatic persons shall undergo quarantine specified by the Health Department and symptomatic persons will be sent to either COVID Care Centre or Hospital.
• In any unexpected issues during the travel, the passengers can contact the Covid-19 War Room set up at the Government Secretariat (0471- 2781100/2781101) or at the border check posts concerned.
• Everybody including those coming from red zones shall remain under home quarantine for 14 days from the date of arrival. However, if the LSGI concerned has not confirmed the availability of Home Quarantine in the covid19jagratha portal before they reach at the check posts, they will be sent to institutional quarantine in the district concerned till the LSGI concerned confirms the availability of Home Quarantine facility.
• Only priority groups persons will be allowed entry passes: a) Those from neighbouring states seeking Medical aid in Kerala b) Pregnant ladies with family c) Family members including children separated due to lockdown d) Students e) Senior citizens with family members f) Persons who lost job

With respect to Train travel, the order says

1. The person/s with valid railway ticket for journey to Kerala should apply for entry pass in covid19jagratha portal https://covid19jagratha.kerala.nic.in
2. The persons who have already applied for pass in the portal, opting different modes of travel other than train, should resubmit application afresh indicating the mode of travel as ‘Train’.
3. The passengers included in a single ticket should form ‘a group’ while submitting the application for passes in ‘covid19jagratha’ portal.
4. The details of departing station, destination station, train/Special train number and PNR Number must be entered in the portal.
5. In arriving station, the details of the passengers will be verified and a medical screening will be conducted. Quarantine guidelines will be the same as that of persons coming by road
6. Pick up vehicles for arriving passengers will be permitted to reach railway station at designated place and a driver only will be permitted to pick up, subject to the social distancing norms. The driver shall also be put under home quarantine for 14 days. KSRTC bus services will be provided from railway station to the designated space where pickup vehicles would be parked.
7. The District Administration where the railway stations are located will make arrangements for operating KSRTC buses to the district headquarters/ major towns to drop the arriving passengers enabling them to reach home.

Trivandrum Central Station in Thiruvananthapuram district, Aluva Railway Station in Ernakulam and Kozhikode Railway Station in Kozhikode districts are the three stations that will have stoppage. With respect to Infrastructure requirements at the entry stations, the district administration should ensure the exit of passengers though more than one gate. Parking area should have enough space to accommodate substantial number of vehicles. The railway stations have also been asked to maintain a proper Queue system. All Luggage should be disinfected and all officials are to use prescribed PPEs and sanitizers. The order says that temperature checking must be carried out with Infra red flash thermometer. All symptomatic passengers are to be sent to Isolation facilities in designated ambulances. The staff must be exclusively posted for a period of two weeks for railway surveillance and they must undergo two weeks home quarantine upon finishing duties.

With respect to passengers travelling out of the state in trains, the District Administration should provide facilities for medical screening and issuing the exit passes at designated railway stations to the passengers. All the passengers with valid railway ticket travelling outside Kerala should reach the railway stations sufficiently in advance at least four hours before departure for medical screening and obtaining certificate.