MANGALURU: As Dakshina Kannada district is witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases, the administration on Monday organised an emergency meeting and adopted measures to check the spread of the novel coronavirus.
A team including deputy commissioner K V Rajendra, DCP (law and order), DHO and Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) officials visited malls, shops and other public places to spread awareness on Covid-19.
DC Rajendra said with experts warning about a second wave of Covid-19, the district administration will initiate an awareness drive on 'Covid-appropriate behaviour' nd vaccination and testing of those who have Covid-19 symptoms in all the wards of urban local bodies and 228 gram panchayats, between10 am and 11am from Tuesday onwards.
Meanwhile, all hospitals and other private medical establishments have been directed to report influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases to the health department compulsorily, he said.
“A team of officials will visit public places and spread awareness on Covid-19 and will insist that people undergo testing if they have symptoms. People will be warned if they are found without masks in public places, especially in malls, business establishments and bus stands," he said.
“We have written to the endowment department commissioner on restricting the number of people participating in religious programmes in temples from April. A meeting of the representatives of IMA, private hospitals and clinics established under the KPME Act, has been held and they have been directed to report ILI and SARI cases to the health department authorities. Action will be taken against private medical establishments, if they violate the guidelines,” he warned.
The district administration will instruct all the elected representatives and political party leaders who have been campaigning in Kerala, to get RT-PCR negative reports, while returning to Dakshina Kannada, the DC said.