Govt bans public gatherings in Karnataka as Covid cases surge

BENGALURU: Ahead of the festive season, the state government has banned religious and other public gatherings across the state, as there has been a spurt in Covid-19 cases.Announcing the decision, Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Tuesday said, “Coronavirus cases have been rising for the last two months.

Despite awareness being created on the dangers of the virus, people are careless and have not been wearing masks. The government wants to come out with a stern rule to act against those violating social distancing and other norms. A detailed directive will be out in a few days.”

He said that the government plans to organise awareness programmes by involving cinema stars, religious heads, political leaders and artists. The Covid positivity rate in 7 out of 11 top districts is 12 per cent and death rate 1.5 per cent, which the government wants to bring down to below 1 per cent, he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, medical equipment including HFNC and RT-PCR machines worth Rs 1.53 crore were donated by ExxonMobil and 3M in partnership with United Way Bengaluru, to government hospitals, he said. He said the equipment donated under CSR fund will be used to support treatment at Victoria Hospital and a hospital in Chikkaballapura, among others.