Karnataka news live: Amid Covid surge & night curfew, hotel industry in Bengaluru faces economic hardship

With reports coming in about black marketing of Remdesivir injection, which is vital for treatment of coronavirus, Karnataka home minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday warned stringent action against those creating false scarcity of the drug. "The Karnataka health minister has already said there is no scarcity of Remdesivir injection in the state but a false scarcity is been created in the state," he said.

The Karnataka government has asked those returning from Kumbh Mela at Haridwar to get themselves quarantined and get tested for coronavirus infection. "Pilgrims returning to the state after taking part in the holy Kumbh Mela at Haridwar must isolate themselves at home and undergo tests for coronavirus. I urge pilgrims to continue with their regular activities only after their Covid negative test report," Karnataka health minister Dr K Sudhakar tweeted. The Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Services K V Thrilok Chandra too issued a circular to this effect. (PTI)

The indefinite strike called by the employees of road transport corporations in Karnataka over wage related issue entered its ninth day on Thursday, continuing to affect bus services across the state. With a stalemate between the government and employees of four transport corporations in the state, over their demand for wages as per the 6th Pay Commission continuing, majority workers did not turn up for work, resulting in buses remaining off road, affecting commuters. (PTI)

While the central government has cleared Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in the country, phase III clinical trials of the drug is in progress at JSS hospital, a private facility in Mysuru city. The hospital is also gearing up to carry out clinical trials of Novavax, another vaccine, for which regulatory approvals are awaited. Sputnik V is the third Covid-19 vaccine approved in India.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike will open eight Covid Care Centres (CCCs) with 1,505 beds by Friday. Curently, two CCCs with 578 beds are operational and 425 beds are occupied. Doctors, staff nurses, support staff and marshals will be appointed and equipment provided.

Karnataka on Wednesday reported more than 11,000 cases in a single day for the first time since the pandemic hit, while Bengaluru broke the ‘record’ from earlier this month by breaching the 8,000-cases mark. The state’s previous high was on October 7, 2020 with 10,947 cases, while Bengaluru’s previous high was on April 11 (7,584). In just 14 days, April has seen more fresh infections (97,908) than the months of January, February and March put together (77,228), as Covid cases in Karnataka is set to surpass the 11-lakh mark in the next few days if not on Thursday.

The byelection, necessitated by the death of sitting Congress MLA B Narayan Rao, is witnessing a three-cornered fight. Former MLA Mallikarjun Khuba entering the fray as an independent after BJP fielded Sharanu Salagar, a party functionary from neighbouring Kalaburagi district, has made the contest interesting.

In a similar scenario to a couple of months ago, core zones in BBMP limits are reporting more Covid cases than those on the periphery. Between April 4 and 13, BBMP south zone reported 11,596 cases — 20% of cases reported in Bengaluru Urban, BBMP war room data showed. The worst hit after south zone is west which registered 8,823 cases (16%), followed by east (8,393), Bommanahalli (7,683), Mahadevapura (7,352), RR Nagar (5,607), Yelahanka (4,636) and Dasarahalli (2,050).

On a day Karnataka and Bengaluru reported the highest single-day spike in cases since the outbreak of Covid-19, CM BS Yediyurappa said more stringent measures including extension of the 10pm-5am curfew — could be considered after the bypolls on April 17. Speaking a day after Ugadi, when he held a meeting with officials on Covid preparedness, the CM reiterated that lockdown would not be imposed anywhere in the state. Read more

With Covid-19 deaths increasing in the city, the wait time for bodies at crematoria has gone up to 3-4 hours.Each of the four Covid-19 dedicated crematoria has seen a sharp spike in bodies every day. According to crematoria workers, it takes about 45-60 minutes to cremate a body. Ravi, a worker at Sumanahalli crematorium, said, “We usually get 5-6 bodies a day but now, we’ve been getting about 22-25 dead bodies every day, including 15 Covid bodies. I have worked till 11.30pm for the last two days and come back by 6am the next day. This crematorium can cremate only 16 bodies a day.” Read more

After creating Vijayanagara district from Ballari, the BJP government is now under pressure to carve out four more districts. Sources in the revenue department said demands for creation of new districts — Sirsi in Uttara Kannada, Tiptur-Madhugiri in Tumakuru, Chintamani in Chikkaballapura and Basavakalyan in Bidar — are gaining traction. The government, for the record, said the demands were under consideration. However, revenue minister R Ashoka illustrated the ground reality and told TOI that the state does not have funds to afford new districts at this juncture.

When Shivaji and Prema Lazarus, a couple in Bengaluru, started a home for orphans — Miracle Manna Ministry — in 2011, they never expected they would have to mortgage and sell their jewellery to keep the home running. But last year in August, the couple had to do exactly that to raise Rs 5 lakh so that they could put food on the table for 23 homeless and orphaned children they look after. Donations had dried up due to the pandemic. Shivaji had lost his job as a full-time driver before Covid; later, his part-time gigs also stopped. Their 28-year-old daughter, Gracy, lost her job as a preschool teacher. Their electricity supply was cut off due to non-payment of bills and this large family lived in darkness for four months.