In Udupi, borders sealed to arrest spike of Covid-19 cases

Udupi: The district administration will seal down Udupi borders for 14-days starting July 16 following chief minister B S Yediyurappa’s move to allow districts to devise their own strategies to contain the pandemic.
The move comes as a total 8.86% of the international, inter-state and inter-district returnees subjected to test since unlock 1.0 were found Covid positive and 14.2% cases reported in the district were their primary contacts.
Comparatively, the positive cases among indigenous population till the nation wide lockdown was in force was just three. Even now, the positivity rate among people who never ventured out of the district but contracted it locally is just 2%. “Closing the district borders to people from outside will prevent an influx of potential fresh positive cases,” deputy commissioner G Jagadeesha told TOI.
Incidentally, the district has to its credit the highest testing per lakh of population in the state with 5,166 tests carried out for aforesaid population. Doubling time of cases in the district is 39 days as against 10 days in Dakshina Kannada and Karnataka, DC surmised. If the death rate in Karnataka is 1.80% and1.70% in neighbouring DK district, it is only 0.2% in Udupi, he said adding the district has 390 active cases with 80 patients discharged during the day.
Averring it is not possible to control Covid-19 cases spiral with a lockdown, the DC, citing views of experts, said it will work when there are no adequate facilities to treat the affected population.
“We have decided to utilise the beds in private hospitals only when occupancy in government facilities touch 70% mark,” DC said. Free treatment is being provided to all without discrimination. Treatment at prices capped by the state is available to those who opt to go directly to private set up, he said.
The real big spurt began when the district borders were opened for people during unlock 1.0 and the district received more than 10,000 people from Maharashtra, he said.