Two students of a Belagavi private dental college have tested positive for COVID-19. The two final-year students, who hail from Bihar, were staying at the college hostel. 

The cases have led to panic amongst the college authorities, students and the locals. The students are under quarantine and undergoing treatment. Late last week, hundreds of medical students tested positive for the Coronavirus at SDM Medical College in Dharwad. In light of such rising cases, a negative RT-PCR report has become mandatory to enter Karnataka. 

Apart from the test, the Belagavi district authorities have additionally made COVID vaccine certificates mandatory for visitors entering from Maharashtra. The authorities have announced a high alert at the Karnataka-Maharashtra boundary in terms of COVID. In fact, those who reach checkposts without a COVID-negative report are being sent back. Those who travel interstate for emergencies like hospitals are being tested using a Rapid Antigen kit. The stricter rules come as the new COVID variant, Omicron, has been termed as a 'variant of concern' by the World Health Organization. 

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