Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the government, based on the lessons learnt in the first and second waves of COVID-19, has made extensive preparations to face a possible third wave of the pandemic.
“We have had experience in handling the pandemic in the first and second waves. Based on the lessons learnt, we have given impetus to develop health infrastructure. We have augmented hospital beds and oxygen production. Indents for medicines have been taken from every district to streamline supply,” Mr. Bommai told mediaersons at Kalaburagi airport on January 4. He was in Kalaburagi to inaugurate the 36th State Conference of Karnataka Union of Working Journalists.
When asked about COVID-19 screening at check-posts along the Karnataka-Maharashtra border, the Chief Minister admitted to poor screening and said that he would hold the police stations responsible for arrival of travellers without valid test reports.
“Karnataka shares a lengthy border with Maharashtra and Kerala where the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is fast spreading. The screening is proper at check-posts on major inter-state roads. However, we have heard of people taking rural routes to cross the State border. We will hold the jurisdictional police responsible for such movement. Two doses of COVID-19 vaccination and recent RT-PCR negative test report is a must for entering Karnataka,” Mr. Bommai said.
To a question on the possibility of another lockdown in Karnataka, the Chief Minister said his government would take a call based on the recommendations of the COVID-19 Task Force.
“The lockdowns in the previous waves of the pandemic had hit the economy hard. The condition is slowly improving. That is why the government is thinking of imposing only such restrictions that would have minimum adverse impact on the economy,” Mr. Bommai said appealing to people to join hands with the government in curbing the pandemic menace by maintaining COVID-19-appropriate behaviour.