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The newest order in Karnataka by the state government now dictates that anybody refusing to get a COVID-19 test can be jailed and or heavily fined.
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Amid the worsening Covid-19 outbreak in the state, the government on Tuesday invoked the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Ordinance 2020 to crack down on people who refuse to get tested.
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Invoking powers under section 4 of the Ordinance, the government issued an order stating, “All individuals who are identified for Covid-19 test by the government shall get tested so that the spread of the disease can be contained and lives can be saved.”
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If a person refuses to get tested, he/she can face a jail term of up to three years and a fine up to Rs 50,000 as per the Ordinance.
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Highlighting the problem, DH had carried a report Karnataka faces Covid contacts challenge’ in its Oct 6 edition, revealing that as much as 60 per cent of primary and secondary contacts of Covid patients in the state are refusing the calls to get tested.
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Government officials said the problem, which was widespread across the state, was creating a serious impediment in the government’s efforts to control the pandemic.
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“It has come to notice that certain individuals are refusing to get tested and thus hampering the efforts to stop the transmission of Covid virus.
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The timely testing will only help the family members, co-workers etc of Covid positive patients to identify disease early and go for treatment,” said Dr Omprakash Patil, Director, Department of Health and Family Welfare, in the order.