[Sankar]

I've been traveling between Trivandrum and Marthandam every Sat/Sun regularly. But today I saw that inchivila covid checkpost had a few policemen stationed inside but they were not stopping anyone. On the TN side the covid checkpost was unmanned as it has been since many months now. Wish they don't create nuisance at the border for travelers.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Doubt it, just picked my wife up from a Cochin flight, could not board without a -ve test certificate

Originally Posted by Captianpuggu

Has anyone traveled recently by road (23-24 Feb) ? My wife traveled by flight with a negative RT-PCR report on 21-Feb and no one checked in Tvm or Bengaluru. And hence I decided I will not get the test done. However looking at recent developments I think I will have to get tested as I am traveling by road on 27-Feb. Only concern is I am traveling with my 6-yr old daughter and want to avoid the pain of nasal swab test for her!
I will be going via TN and enter KA through Attibele.

Originally Posted by balenoed_

Any latest (past 2 days) update on the checking on Palakkad - Bangalore stretch? So as to be more clear for a trip on this weekend, for a friend.

How things change in a week! We went to Kochi on thurs, spent Fri morning and Rs 5000+ for the test. Returned on Saturday evening and no one even bothered to even ask for the test certificate. What a waste!

[balenoed_]

However, the checking for RTPCR at Makkutta checkpost (Bangalore - Kannur route) is strictly in place. I travelled last night towards Kannur and saw the checking happening for Karnataka bound travellers.

No clue how this on off checking (for Kannur/Calicut districts) is making sense.

[bejoy]

E-Pass is mandatory to cross into TN from KL. Temperature screening of passengers have started at Walayar according to news reports. However, Covid -ve certificate is not made mandatory yet.

Source

[rohitoasis]

Originally Posted by bejoy

E-Pass is mandatory to cross into TN from KL. Temperature screening of passengers have started at Walayar according to news reports. However, Covid -ve certificate is not made mandatory yet.

Source

In light of the above development last week. I thought of giving an update here regarding Walayar. There was no checking on me entire of last week and even today. Maybe because i commute very early in the morning. (Did not notice anyone stopping even as of yesterday evening 6:45 PM. As of today morning, The barriers in the road are now shifted to just past the small bridge we have at Walayar. There is a Shamiana set up along the roadside with a few chairs. Did not notice any police or medical staff as of morning. There did seem to be something like a camera crew. (Maybe a news crew trying to get the scoop). I know many would want to know the update towards the weekend. I will update the details as of tomorrow evening as well once the journey is done.

Unelated to COVID: For cars travelling towards Kerala, please be aware of police checks at the Walayar border. Was a very small group of police all of last week. But yesterday there were quite a few of them stopping fair share of cars. Maybe election related. Closer to Coimbatore, similar checks were found near Madukkarai overbridge last week. Not much this week.

[rohitoasis]

Walayar: Barricades are up in the left side of the road, i think few cars are diverted to the service road in the left side. However the right side is still free. Three cops were stationed today morning. I slowed down at sight of the cops only to find other vehicles passing through the gap in the barricades in the right side. I followed suit. Alongside me, a scooter, two cars and a lorry crossed and neither were stopped today.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by rohitoasis

Unelated to COVID: For cars travelling towards Kerala, please be aware of police checks at the Walayar border. Was a very small group of police all of last week. But yesterday there were quite a few of them stopping fair share of cars. Maybe election related...

Since the election dates have been announced, the empowered surveillance squads are conducting checks at various locations, including the state borders.

The District Information Office Palakkad keeps posting relevant info on their FB page, like this. Most of their posts are in Malayalam, but they do reply in English when needed.

[abhilashgp]

Travelled from Trivandrum to Bangalore today. No checking at Kalaickavila Checkpost (TN-KL border) nor at Zuzuvadi (TN-KA border). We had the TN epass and RT PCR results, I suggest to have them, should anyone ask out of the blue.

[swageo]

Originally Posted by abhilashgp

Travelled from Trivandrum to Bangalore today. No checking at Kalaickavila Checkpost (TN-KL border) nor at Zuzuvadi (TN-KA border). We had the TN epass and RT PCR results, I suggest to have them, should anyone ask out of the blue.

But why spend Rs 1700 if no one wants.. Its just crazy..

[Tojo_GotBhp]

Originally Posted by swageo

But why spend Rs 1700 if no one wants.. Its just crazy..

Exactly. It makes no sense to mandate -ve COVID certificate or e-pass. Looks like the need for a -ve certificate has been scrapped since yesterday but e-pass has been made compulsory by the TN government.

In late January 2021, Kerala used to report 8000-9000 cases daily with a high positivity rate, there were no such travel restrictions in place then.

Thanks to rohitoasis for the frequent updates!

[swageo]

I have travel plan coming up.. I keep reloading this page to find "whats latest"... :-)

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by abhilashgp

We had the TN epass and RT PCR results, I suggest to have them, should anyone ask out of the blue.

It is easier said to have them , but to bear that discomfort of poking into your nostrils is a terrible experience.

Originally Posted by swageo

But why spend Rs 1700 if no one wants.. Its just crazy..

Agree, expense plus that horrific experience of getting the test done made me decide to never do that again and I pray I never have to do one.

[abhilashgp]

Originally Posted by swageo

But why spend Rs 1700 if no one wants.. Its just crazy..

In our case, the apartment does mandate them to be submitted, as that's how the government notification has instructed. Hence we had no option.

Originally Posted by balenoed_

Agree, expense plus that horrific experience of getting the test done made me decide to never do that again and I pray I never have to do one.

Do agree on both the cost and the discomfort. The only peace was that in Trivandrum, lot of labs had the facility to get sample collected from home at nominal cost.

[rohitoasis]

In continuation to my earlier post.

Walayar: There is a smashed up Wagon R on the side towards Coimbatore just before the checkpost. So people out of Kerala be aware that the traffic was bunched up there due to the crane required to lift the stricken car. Should have been removed by now i guess.

On COVID: I think it is best to take the E Pass. Since i was bunched up with traffic it was easier to note the behaviour at border. It looked like showing the E Pass was more voluntary at this time of the day. 1 Innova in front of me turned to the service road with not much prompting from the cop stationed there. At the same time, myself, another motorcycle and 2 lorries and a Honda city breezed past on the empty side of the road and were not stopped.

The Shamiana in the service road had around 8-10 cars bunched up and people showing documents to the authority.

I had a doubt i was not stopped because of my TN registration. So for the rest of the journey i started interacting with all KL registered vehicles to find out if they were stopped or not.

Innova driver and family: Not a daily commuter. They said they stopped and showed the E Pass. When i said i was not stopped, they said not to worry about it.

Bullet rider: Daily commuter. Was not stopped. Also turned out to be a cop. Told that it would not be a problem for daily commuter.

MT15 rider: Daily commuter. Was not stopped. Said that checking was not so strict in the early mornings and gets serious around 10 AM only. RT PCR is not being asked even then.

In conclusion: I think it is safe to have the E Pass.

Full disclosure: I keep a valid E Pass for every days commute. An E pass is valid for 2 days, so i have to keep 3 for every week. The contents to be filled in the website have become like muscle memory to me by now.

With all these breaks, todays commute turned out to be the longest i had in the history of these commutes.

[batterylow]

Travelled Coimbatore - Calicut today.

No checking on the TN side while exiting but the Kerala Police waved me down and got the details (Phone number and destination).