Karnataka news live: Mangaluru-Dubai first flight takes off with only five passengers on board

The first flight since April 25 to Dubai from Mangalore International Airport (MIA) took off on Wednesday with only five passengers on board. Air India Express flight IX 383 departed at 2.45pm via Thiruvananthapuram.

With major festivals around the corner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has augmented and revamped its teams to enforce Covid-19 protocols. Marshals will be accompanied by homeguards, while volunteers from civil defence will be placed at marketplaces to ensure people follow Covidappropriate behaviour of social distancing, wearing masks and hand hygiene.

As far as livelihoods go, the pandemic has hit the service industry the hardest, with hotels and pubs bearing the brunt. The biggest bugbear has been the imposition of night curfew over the past 130 days. This has completely shattered hopes of economic revival.

Covid-19 vaccine-induced immunity lasts 6-9 months from the second dose and booster shots are needed to ensure continued protection, Dr Ananda Giri Shankar, leading epidemiologist and incident director for Covid-19 with the Wales public health service in UK told TOI.

A 28-year-old businessman has been arrested for allegedly misbehaving with a cabin crew member aboard a Bengaluru-Kolkata flight on August 14. In her complaint, the flight attendant said the incident took place when the man was waiting for his turn outside the toilet. The woman brought the matter to the notice of her seniors and the accused was deboarded from the plane and arrested.