With a person in Kodagu testing positive for COVID-19, Health and Family Welfare officials have begun checking the health of people entering the district at the Hassan-Kodagu boundary.
Bhavani Revanna, Hassan Zilla Panchayat member and chairperson of the standing committee on health and education, conducted a meeting on Friday to review the precautionary measures taken by the district administration on COVID-19. She directed officials to open check-posts and screen passengers at the district entry posts. When an officer pointed out that around 6,000 people, native to Hassan but settled in Mumbai, would be visiting the district to celebrate Ugadi next week, she told them to set up check-posts at Hirisave and Arsikere to screen them.
She also said the State government should provide sufficient funds for programmes to spread awareness onf the infection. She said she would speak to the Ministers concerned on the issue.
Ventilators
Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences director B.C. Ravi Kumar stressed the need for more ventilators to treat patients if any more positive cases are reported in the future. “We need to be prepared with extra ventilators. The government should provide ambulances with ventilators,” he said. District Health Officer K.M. Sathish Kumar said the administration had taken all measures to treat COVID-19 cases. Entry of visitors to tourist places and resorts and homestays has been stopped.
So far, the officer said, the throat swabs of 16 people have been tested in Hassan, and all results came back negative. As of now, there is no one at the isolation ward in the hospital, he said.
