Suspecting that the spread of COVID-19 infection could have begun at the community level in the district, Deputy Commissioner R. Girish has appealed to the public to be more cautious.

“We have not been able to trace the source of infection of about 20 confirmed cases. There could be chances of the spread of the infection at the community level”, he said in a press conference here on Wednesday.

The number of confirmed cases has been on the rise. During random testing, many are found infected. “There could be a few people around us with the infection. We need to be careful. I wish every individual avoids going out and maintains distance from other people. I appeal to the public to be cautious; otherwise, the situation would worsen in the coming days”, he said.

Penalty

He suggested that people postpone plans to travel for two months. The administration had decided to slap a penalty on all those who ignore the rule to wear masks and maintain social distance in public places. “I have told taluk administrations to collect a penalty of ₹10,000 a day. We will be strictly implementing the rules so that the spread of infection is avoided”, he said.

One death

A person, native of Hassan taluk, died of COVID-19 infection in Hassan on Tuesday. He was admitted to the hospital on June 28. The DC said earlier he was working as a driver in a private hospital in Bengaluru and recently had undergone treatment for a liver-related problem. “With this, four people have died of COVID-19 infection in the district”, he said. With 28 cases reported on the day, the total number of confirmed cases reported in the district stands at 426. Among them, 246 have been discharged and 176 are undergoing treatment.