Partial COVID-19 lockdown in Karnataka extended by another 14 days till June 7

BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday announced an extension of the existing lockdown in the state by another 14 days. The guidelines issued for the existing lockdown, the Chief Minister said, will continue to be in place till June 7. The decision, Yediyurappa said, was taken based on the technical advisory committee's recommendation to contain the spread of COVID19 in the state.

"To stop the spread of COVID19 at the village level and save lives, we have taken decisions for the welfare of the people. I request citizens to please cooperate," BS Yediyurappa appealed before he announced the extension of the lockdown. "Due to the restrictions we have ordered till May 24, cases are coming under control but we need to stop the spread at the village level. It has been decided that the lockdown will be extended by another 14 days, till 6 am on June 7," Yediyurappa said.

He added that people are violating prohibitory orders and are seen commuting outside the 6 am to 10 am window allowed for essentials. "If permission is till 10 am then people should be returning to their homes by 9.45 AM instead of roaming about unnecessarily. Police have been asked to strictly enforce the lockdown and take action against violators," Yediyurappa added.

The government also announced free treatment for mucormycosis - black fungal infection - at government hospitals. "Since not everybody can afford the treatment given its cost, the government has decided to provide free treatment at district hospitals," he said.

The number of new COVID-19 related fatalities declined to 353 in Karnataka, as the state reported 32,218 fresh cases, which continues to be outnumbered by recoveries with 52,581 discharges, the health department said on Friday.

While the total number of infections so far stands at 23,67,742, the toll is 24,207.

The state during the last three days had reported 548, 468 and 525 fatalities respectively.

Out of the 32,218 new cases logged on Friday, 9,591 were from Bengaluru Urban alone and the city saw 26,956 discharges.

Cumulatively 23,67,742 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 24,207 deaths and 18,29,276 discharges,the Health department said in a bulletin.

The total number of active cases stood at 5,14,238.

While the positivity rate stood at 24.22 per cent, the case fatality rate (CFR) was 1.09 per cent.

Among 353 deaths reported on Friday, 129 were from Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural had 30, Ballari 23, Uttara Kannada 22, Shivamogga 20, followed by others.

Bengaluru Urban accounted for most number of cases with 9,591, Mysuru 2,355, Hassan 2,071, Tumakuru 1,773, Ballari 1,650, followed by others.

Bengaluru Urban district topped the list of positive cases, with a total of 11,03,844, followed by Mysuru 1,21,987 and Tumakuru 90,952.

Among discharges too, Bengaluru Urban headed the list with 8,04,056, followed by Mysuru 1,07,934 and Ballari 65,389 A total of over 2,84,53,442 samples have been tested so far, out of which 1,33,013 were on Friday alone.

(With PTI Inputs)