Kerala is one of the states in India that has handled malicious viruses like Nipah and Corona really well, and now their new protocol of getting tested for Coronavirus if traveling from overseas will be another success.

If you live overseas and are returning home to Kerala, you better get yourself tested first and have a certificate to prove you are COVID-19 negative. Yes, this comes in the latest announcement by the Kerala government regarding ex-pats who are returning home.

Right from the beginning of the Vande Bharat mission, we have been requesting the Central government that ex-pats should come back to Kerala only after testing. The state had insisted on COVID tests for all, including for those who are flying back on chartered flights. Those flying by Spice Jet are already doing it,” chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said while speaking to reporters, according to a News18 report.

Compulsory for all

This is mandatory for everyone coming back from overseas, be it on flights under the Vande Bharat mission or chartered flights by different organizations. This decision comes 3 months after the Kerala Assembly passed a unanimous resolution.

It is not safe for the passengers to have a few infected people among them. If doing PCR test for passengers is difficult, let them do antibody tests. True Nat testing is cheaper and gives results faster which is suitable for travelers. The government of India should make arrangements for testing through Embassies in countries where facilities for testing are not there,” Vijayan went on to say.

People are always welcome to return home. He did mention that all ex-pats were welcome but precautions needed to be taken to ensure there was no community spread.

It is a positive move to keep the disease in check. Kerala has been praised highly for being able to tackle the pandemic and keep the cases and fatalities down to a minimum.