Belagavi district has been put under lockdown following the wide-ranging quarantine methods announced by the State government, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The State government has asked all schools, colleges and universities to close down for two weeks. All examinations of students of classes 1 to 6, that were to be held after March 14, were cancelled. Students of 7-9 classes have got study leave till their examination starts. All such examinations have to be completed before March 23.
Most educational institutions have followed this instruction. However, some private schools functioned as usual on Saturday. A.B. Pundalik, Deputy Director of Public Instruction, said that officers will visit schools that had remained open and would ask them to close down. A show cause notice would be served on them, he said.
VIP visits cancelled
Visits by two leaders, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, have been put off. The Chief Minister was expected to participate in the marriage of BJP MLC Mahantesh Kavatagimath’s daughter on Sunday. Mr. Gowda was supposed to hold party workers’ meetings in Belagavi, Chikkodi and Hubballi.
Mr. Kavatagimath has announced that the marriage will be simple, to be completed in the presence of family members and a few friends.
The two multiplexes in the city and three shopping malls have remained closed since Friday. Crowds in the old city market were thinner and business was affected. A lot of people were wearing masks. Some were covering their faces with handkerchiefs, shawls, sarees and dupattas.
Additional powers of quarantine have been given to the Deputy Commissioner, S.B. Bommanahalli, under the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897. He has issued an order closing all anganwadis till March 21. Anganwadi workers will provide food materials to the doorsteps of children enrolled in these pre-schools.
A 10-bed isolation ward has been set up in the district civil hospital. Isolation wards of two and five beds have been set up in all other government hospitals in the district.
Doctors at the isolation ward in Belagavi can be contacted by dialling 9449308081, 9739579688, 9980706051, 08312491102.
Mr. Bommanahalli has threatened to initiate criminal proceedings against those who spread fake news to create or exemplify a scare among the people about the virus.
He has issued orders revoking permits given to all jatras, annual car fairs and other rituals in religious places to stop the gathering of crowds.
Officers said their preparations for the mass marriages in government-administered temples under the Saptapadi programme of the Endowments Department, were being affected due to the lockdown. A mass marriage has been planned in Saundatti on April 26 and in other temples on May 14. “We are not sure if we will be allowed to conduct those functions,” said a senior officer of the Muzrai Department. “Our preparations like calling for applications, listing of beneficiaries and holding awareness programmes before the marriages will be affected as we are not allowed to hold meetings and large gatherings,” he said.
