Bengaluru: Marshals will be deployed in Marriage Halls to ensure strict implementation of COVID-19 guidelines, said Health and Medical Education Minister Dr. K. Sudhakar.

Speaking to media after holding a video-conferencing with the Deputy Commissioners’ of all districts in the wake of reports of second wave here yesterday, he bemoaned that people attending large gatherings were not following the safety protocol. Hence, it was necessary to deploy a marshal in each choultry to make sure COVID guidelines were followed strictly. 

Not more than 500 people would be allowed to gather at one place and face mask was compulsory for all. Catering service providers would have to get RT-PCR test done once in 15 days, he added. 

Violations galore

He said meetings and gatherings are happening in violation of COVID-19 guidelines. The Government would be forced to take strong measures to check the spiking of fresh cases. “We don’t want a situation like Maharashtra where lockdown has been re-imposed in certain districts in view of sudden spurt in Corona positive cases,” he said.

Replying to a question, he said more than 4.24 lakh Health Department workers and 1.20 lakh frontline warriors have been administered with the first dose of vaccine. Steps had been taken for removal of duplicate entries and names of illegible beneficiaries from CoWIN portal.  The Government has set a  target of 80 percent and 90 percent vaccination  for health staff and frontline warriors respectively by the end of this month. CM B.S. Yediyurappa was personally monitoring the progress of vaccination and would be conducting a video-conference with officials this weekend, he noted.