Bengaluru news live: Don't lower guard, says Karnataka health officials after 49 nursing students test Covid positive

Health officials in Karnataka have appealed to people not to lower guard after 49 students from Kerala studying in a nursing college near the coastal city of Mangaluru tested positive for Covid-19. "The news of 49 students testing positive in a nursing college in Ullal near Mangaluru is a grim reminder of how unpredictable the Covid virus is! Covid is still a threat, please continue to take necessary precautions", health and medical education minister Sudhakar K tweeted on Thursday.

Water supply will be hit on Saturday between 8am and 6pm in areas like Jayanagar, Tilaknagar, Sampangiram Nagar, Adugodi, Netaji Nagar, New Binny Layout, Bank Colony, ITI Layout, NR Colony, Katriguppe, Basavanagudi, Kumaraswamy Layout, ISRO Layout, Srinagar, Shanthala Nagar, Anepalya, Ambedkar Nagar, Austin Town, Ejipura, Viveknagar, Ashoknagar, Richmond Town, MG Road, Brigade Road, HAL II Stage, Kodihalli, Ulsoor, Murphy Town, Jogupalya, Koramangala, KHB Colony, Domlur, Maruthi Nagar, Vivekananda Nagar.

The lack of coordination between BBMP and BWSSB has led to this problem, confirmed a senior Palike official. “The water supply board has been digging the road for pipeline works, and they are doing it at a snail’s pace, which is bothering us,” said the official. <link>https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/lack-of-coordination-a-problem-bbmp/articleshow/80676583.cms</link><linkText/>Read full story here

BS Yediyurappa should take moral responsibility for a land denotification case against him and step down as the chief minister, opposition leader Siddaramaiah said in the assembly on Wednesday. “The Supreme Court has only given you protection from arrest, but it has not given you relief in the case. Investigation agencies must look into it. It’s better if you resign and make way for the probe,” he said.

For the second consecutive day, over 100 residents protested the proposed development of a tree park in Turahalli forest. Enraged after spotting two earthmovers cleaning the area on Tuesday, they decided to intensify the stir on Wednesday. Residents thought the earthmovers were clearing the forest to set up the park, which was commissioned by chief minister BS Yediyurappa’s Vision 2022. Last week, he had announced a tree park would be created on 400 acres of land by April 2021, which left locals agitated. The proposed park will have a walking track, concrete structures, toilets, canteen, play area, water dispenser and gazebo.

Under fire for inordinate delay, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has terminated the contract of cash-strapped Simplex Infrastructures Ltd for work on Bannerghatta Road. The work on Bannerghatta Road has now completely stopped. However, Simplex will continue to work on Tumakuru Road since it’s a small section. This is probably for the first time BMRCL is taking such a tough step against a civil contractor for delay in work. Read full story here

In a first for Karnataka, a transgender woman has been elected unopposed president of a gram panchayat (GP) in Mysuru district. Devika, who belongs to a scheduled caste community, was elected member of the Saligrama GP on December 30 and on Wednesday, became its president. She won as an independent from ward number 7 which was reserved for SC women. Canvassing on her own, without the support of any groups or local panels formed by various parties, she secured 115 votes, winning by a margin of five votes. Read full story

Bowing to pressure from the Kannada film industry, the state government on Wednesday allowed cinema halls and multiplexes to run with 100% occupancy for four weeks. The state government will issue detailed guidelines for theatres by Thursday. “We’ll review the situation after four weeks. If there are no adverse events in connection with the pandemic, the permission will continue. Else, it will be revisited,” said health minister K Sudhakar, who met representatives of the Kannada film industry, led by Kannada Film Chamber of Commerce president DR Jairaj and actor Shivarajkumar. Read full story

Around 2,000 community health volunteers, who worked with the BBMP and led the fight against Covid-19, have not been paid salaries for three months, reports Manu Aiyappa. They had helped trace positive patients and their contacts, screened people in slums and quarantined the infected and their highrisk contacts. Read full story

In perhaps the biggest cluster outbreak since cases began declining a couple of months ago, 49 students of a nursing college in Ullal tested positive for Covid-19 and the college campus has been declared a containment zone till February 19. The college had tested 104 samples of staff and students and 49 BSc nursing students — all from Kerala including 11 boys — were found to be infected. Cases are spiralling in Kerala. Dr Ashok H, nodal officer for Covid-19, Dakshina Kannada district, said they stepped up testing after six students tested positive on January 29. “We rushed to the institute and learnt that on the same day, students from Kerala, who were going to Bengaluru for an exam, had travelled to the college in a bus and had a bath and breakfast in the hostel. They stayed there for less than two hours.”