Truck driver in Chamarajanagar tests +ve; Covid-19 covers entire Karnataka map

Mysuru: The spread of the novel coronavirus in Karnataka is now complete, with the last remaining Covid-free district, Chamarajanagar, reporting its second case on Saturday a day after the border district’s first patient was discharged. A truck driver tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Gundlupet taluk, following which he was admitted to the designated Covid-19 hospital in the district.
Chamarajanagar deputy commissioner MR Ravi and superintendent of police HD Anand Kumar on Saturday visited Gundlupet town, and designated the area of which the patient was a resident a containment area.
The patient, a 39-year-old male, was involved in transporting onions between Gundlupet and Tamil Nadu, travelling to the neighbouring state every alternate day. On June 18, the day after he returned from Salem, he developed fever and complained of soreness in his throat. His blood samples and throat swabs were immediately dispatched to the laboratory for examination. He was confirmed infected on Friday evening.
Ravi said that all primary contacts of the patient had been shifted to the district’s quarantine facility. “He had visited a private clinic in Gundlupet before he was shifted to the designated hospital. The doctor in the clinic, however, adhered to all the safety norms prescribed for treating patients,” the DC said.
Ravi added that, as many as 10 people, including the patient’s mother and wife had been identified as his primary contacts. “The street on which he lives has ten houses, and it has been notified as a containment zone, the first in Chamarajanagar. We have asked the residents not to step outside their homes. Groceries will be delivered to their homes,” he said.
The DC said that primary investigation had revealed that the patient had visited a tea stall. “We are also mapping all the places he visited in the district,” Ravi added.
Both the DC and SP Kumar called on the people to take follow all the safety measures without fail. “All people must wear masks while stepping out of homes, and use hand sanitiser regularly to minimise spread of infection,” they said.
The case of the 22-year-old, who had come to Chamarajanagar from Mumbai, the authorities in the district had refused to categorise as their own, citing his travel history.