After Gowda Episode, Karnataka Govt Says 'No Quarantine For Ministers, Officials'

The order came on a day when Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers D.V. Sadananda Gowda was allowed to exit the airport on arriving from New Delhi without going into 7-day institutional quarantine.

Union Statistics and Programme Implementation and Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda. (Image: IANS)

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government exempted Union and state ministers and officials from quarantine, which it made mandatory for all entering the state from other states or overseas to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, a top official said on Monday. "The ministers of Union government or state governments or officers on duty will be exempted from quarantine as has been done for health professionals," said state Health Commissioner P.K. Pandey in an order here. The order has also exempted any person who gets a Covid negative test certificate from an ICMR approved lab which is not more than 2 days old from the date of journey, from institution quarantine. The order has also exempted airlines crew on official duty from quarantine. The order came on a day when Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers D.V. Sadananda Gowda was allowed to exit the airport on arriving from New Delhi without going into 7-day institutional quarantine, as other passengers who too came from the national capital, which is one of the 6 most Covid-hit states in the country. Gowda, a Lok Sabha member from the Bangalore North constituency, flew into the city in a commercial flight on the first day of resumption of domestic services after 63 days of lockdown. "I am exempted under the clause by the state government as well as the Central government," Gowda told a local news channel when asked how he could avoid the mandatory quarantine on landing from Delhi.