Kerala govt prepared to make available kits to test expats

The Kerala government will initiate steps in cooperation with Indian embassies and Airline companies to make availabletruenat COVID-19 kits to test expatriates who wish to return from the Gulf and talks in this regard are going on,Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Thursday.

The Kerala government will initiate steps in cooperation with Indian embassies and Airline companies to make available truenat COVID-19 kits to test expatriates who wish to return from the Gulf and talks in this regard are going on, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Thursday. .With rising positive cases, the government had made COVID test mandatory for those flying in from the Gulf to Kerala, a decision which had drawn flak from the opposition Congress, BJP, and various Gulf-based organizations.

"In those countries which lack facilities for rapid tests, the Kerala government will initiate steps to provide truenat COVID-19 test kits for expats. We will cooperate with the Airline companies and seek assistance of the concerned Indian embassies also. The talks in this regard are going on," Vijayan told reporters here.

Countries like the UAE and Qatar already have such testing facilities and expatriates from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain will benefit from this facility, he said. So far, 2.79 lakh people have returned to the state and 1172 people-- 669 from abroad and 503 from other states, including 313 from Maharashtra, have tested positive for the infection, Vijayan said, adding the figures point to the fact that Kerala needs to be more alert.