A total of 30 members, including family members and close relatives of the 76-year-old man who died of COVID-19, were quarantined in a hospital in Kalaburagi and kept under isolation, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sriramulu said on Sunday.

The doctors who treated the deceased were also under close observation, he said.

Mr. Sriramulu was speaking after holding an emergency meeting with officials of the Health and Family Welfare Department, Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences, and district authorities on Saturday. He directed them to gear up to tackle the situation arising from spreading of COVID-19, and also asked them to take preventive measures to curb spreading of the virus.

The government is prepared to deal with the situation and will allocate additional funds for establishing quarantines and purchase of medical supplies, he said.

He called upon the district authorities to instil confidence among doctors and nurses treating COVID-19 patients. “We should together address the challenges posed by the disease and also crack down on fake news and misinformation to overcome panic,” he said.

In the past, the State has successfully tackled other communicable diseases, especially H1N1 (or swine flu) and dengue, he said.

He said that a 200-bed quarantine facility has been set up at the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital and directed Police Commissioner M.N. Nagaraj to deploy personnel on the hospital premises to keep a close watch on the patients.

Drug licenses

Acting on complaints that medical stores were selling masks and sanitisers at exorbitant prices, the Health Minister directed the officials to cancel the drug licence of such stores. Dattatreya Patil Revoor, MLA, directed the officials of the Health Department to spread awareness on COVID-19 in the districts on a war footing as a suspicious case is enough to create panic among citizens.

Deputy Commissioner B. Sharat said that around 12 isolation beds were established at GIMS. Also, 16 isolation beds have been activated at ESIC hospital. The district administration has marked out the residences of the victim who died of COVID-19 and encircled a mile radius around them as ‘containment zone’. The district authorities have also issued a circular to shut down all business establishments and postpone events, he said.