The State on Tuesday reported a record 10,453 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of cases to 5,92,911. This is the highest single-day spike so far.
With 136 new deaths, the toll rose to 8,777. This includes 19 non-COVID-19 deaths. As many as 6,628 persons were discharged on Tuesday taking the recoveries to 4,76,378. Active cases continued to remain over a lakh with 1,07,737. Of these, 815 patients are being monitored in the ICUs.
Bengaluru Urban also saw a record spike with 4,868 cases, which is the highest on a single day so far. With 67 of the 136 deaths from Bengaluru, the toll in this district rose to 2,912. Testing also increased with 87,475 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, including 45,141 rapid antigen tests. The total number of tests rose to 48,06,197.
Meanwhile, the State government has warned of stern action against people who flout mask wearing and social distancing rules in public places.Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar, who on Tuesday conducted a meeting with members of the State COVID-19 expert committee and technical advisory committee (TAC), said a detailed directive on enforcing strict action against violators will be issued after discussion with the Chief Minister.
Admitting that the pandemic has been on a high in the State in the past two months, the Minister said: “Despite awareness regarding the virus, people have been negligent and are not wearing masks. To combat this, the government is keen on bringing stern rules against those found flouting the rules. A detailed directive will be out in a few days.”
He said experts had recommended that the State should restrict political and religious gatherings that have been on the rise post the lockdown. “People are attending gatherings in large numbers leading to the rapid spread of the virus. Permission will be given only for those events that are unavoidable, and only 100 people will be allowed with prior permission from the district administration,” he said.
Awareness programmes will be organised jointly with cine stars, religious heads, political leaders and artists, he said.
Giridhara R. Babu, TAC member, said the committee had suggested that the State improve testing on a syndromic approach and initiate measures to reduce deaths. “More tests are vital to detect more cases and ensure that no case is missed out. Focus should be on reducing mortality,” he said.
The State is contemplating allowing relatives to visit patients for a short duration after following elaborate safety measures, said Mr. Sudhakar. He said this was being allowed in some States and will be in the interest of the psychological health of patients. “We will soon issue a directive in this regard,” he said.