Although many States that are witnessing an upsurge in COVID-19 cases have reintroduced the mask mandate with penalty for non-compliance, Karnataka has not yet decided to slap a penalty for violators, as of now.
The decision to make mask wearing compulsory in crowded public places and closed spaces with poor ventilation was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai with senior Ministers, officials and members of the State’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on Monday.
Briefing mediapersons after the meeting, Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar said masks should be worn compulsorily and social distancing should be maintained. “The situation in Karnataka is not alarming as of now. We have made it compulsory but have not taken any decision regarding imposing a penalty on violators as of now,” he said.
The meeting was held in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s videoconference with Chief Ministers and Health Ministers of all states on April 27. “We are expecting fresh guidelines and information during the meeting. After that, we will hold another meeting here and initiate further measures,” Mr. Sudhakar said.
Uptick in Bengaluru
“We are concerned over a slight rise in the number of cases in Bengaluru, where the positivity rate is 1.9%. The situation will be monitored closely here,” he said.
Asserting that people should come forward and get vaccinated with the precaution dose, the Minister said: “The WHO has said that hospitalisation and ICU admissions are high among the unvaccinated. Although we are offering free booster doses for senior citizens, the number of people who have taken the precaution dose is low.”
Tele-monitoring
As per the recommendations made by the TAC, the State will soon start tele-monitoring of arrivals from countries such as South Korea, Thailand, and Japan that have been reporting a rise in cases. “Passengers travelling directly to the State from these countries will be specially monitored at the airports and their details and contact numbers will be collected and they will be tele-monitored at home,” he said.
Replying to queries regarding the emergence of new variants in Karnataka, the Minister said: “Sub-lineages of Omicron BA.2 are emerging. But we cannot say anything officially until a confirmation comes from the Indian SARS-CoV -2 Genomics Consortium. Samples have been collected and sent for genomic sequencing and the report is expected in two-three days.”
On testing, the Minister said the State was now conducting an average of 10,000 tests daily. “We are following the Centre’s guidelines that allow testing of only symptomatic persons, as of now,” the Minister said.
