No need to panic, Karnataka govt doing all it can to contain Covid-19, says minister JC Madhuswamy

DHARWAD: Seeking to assure the public of the government’s commitment to containing the spread of the novel coronavirus or Covid-19, Karnataka state law and parliamentary affairs minister JC Madhuswamy on Saturday asked people not to panic.
Madhuswamy, interacting with representatives of the media after the Karnataka State Law University (KSLU) convocation in Dharwad, pointed out that the number of people who had tested positive for the infection across the state did not give one occasion to be alarmed. “But panic appears to have gripped the public. But the government will do all it can to protect people against the infection. We are providing treatment to those who are suspected of having contracted the infection, and to those who have tested positive,” said the minister.
He said that, although the government had prohibited holding of programmes, workshops and other mass events that would be attended by a large number of people, the KSLU convocation could not be called off since students had already arrived in Dharwad for the very purpose. “The ceremony was held only after the government approved it,” Madhuswamy said.
Echoing Madhuswamy’s opinion, former minister and MLC Basavaraj Horatti said that there was no outbreak of the infection in the state. “The only fatality in Karnataka is that of an elderly man who had been to Dubai. But the government must nevertheless take precautions, and ensure that all those coming from abroad are screened,” said Horatti, lauding the state government’s decision to close down schools and colleges.