• No curbs on essential services

Bengaluru: Minutes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a meeting of Chief Ministers of 11 States, which are becoming super-spreaders of COVID-19 pandemic in the last 15-20 days, Government of Karnataka has decided to impose Corona Curfew in Mysuru, Bengaluru, Uttara Kannada, Mangaluru, Kalaburagi, Bidar, Tumakuru, Udupi-Manipal from Apr. 10 to Apr. 20 between 10 pm and 5 am.

“Decision to impose night curfew in these eight district headquarters has been taken on experimental basis following sudden jump in Corona positive cases. However, essential services will not be affected. Instructions have been issued to districts authorities to implement it strictly. I want people to follow the Government guidelines strictly failing which ‘harsh’ decision will be taken in the coming days,” Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa told reporters, after over one hour video-conference with the Prime Minister yesterday.

He said more number of COVID positive cases were reported in Bengaluru Urban and 6 other cities. Though there was surge in number of cases, the fatality rate remains low. The case fatality rate was 0.50 percent in the State yesterday to which the Government of India has also expressed content. 

Continuing, CM Yediyurappa said that PM Modi has stressed on enhanced testing, focus on micro-containment zones and to ensure sufficient ambulance, oxygen supply and ventilators. 

‘Vaccination Utsav’ 

Modi also called upon all the States to observe ‘Vaccination Utsav’  from Apr. 11 (birth anniversary of Jyotirao Phule) till Apr. 14 (birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar) to motivate more number of people to get vaccinated since it was the only weapon to fight against the contagion. States must take up awareness campaigns about COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) with the help of celebrities and opinion makers in society with special focus on youths.

The CM informed Modi that Karnataka had taken up vaccination at a large scale.  About 6,000 Vaccination Centres were working daily.  Of these, 5,400 are in Government facilities and 600 in private facilities. So far, more than 53 lakh people have been vaccinated. “Karnataka has inoculated 22.31 percent of the target population above 45 years of age as compared to the National Average of 13.94 percent as on Apr. 5. The State has doubled the number of tests  to about 1.20 lakh now. These days, more than 95 percent of the tests are being conducted using RT-PCR method. We have more than 42,000 general beds, 30,000 oxygenated beds, 3,000 ICUs and 2,900 beds with Ventilators in general hospitals”.

Down shutters by 10 pm

Meanwhile, Health and Medical Education Minister Dr. K. Sudhakar has said all hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars, cinema halls, multiplexes, shopping malls, night parties and other social activities must be stopped before 10 pm as ‘Corona Curfew’ will be in force from 10 pm to 5 am. 

Addressing the CMs yesterday, Modi said “We  must bring down positive rate below 5 percent. Our target is to do 70 per cent RT-PCR tests. All of you must use the experiences from first wave to combat the second wave. Today, we have all the resources and thus, it is a challenge for our governance. We must focus on micro-containment zones.  States must ensure that all COVID-19 test samples are taken properly. Every person must be tested in containment zones. Every contact of the infected person must be tracked. Must do contact tracing of at least 30 people for one infected person. Our experience says ‘test, track and treat’ is the mantra to go forward.  India is once again facing a challenging situation. People have become lax. Cases are rising because administrations are also lax. We must work on war-footing to defeat Coronavirus.”