Karnataka govt issued Covid-19 guidelines: holiday for children’s, to wear masks

Karnataka govt issued Covid-19 guidelines: As a precautionary measure to check the spread of COVID-19 cases, the Karnataka government has advised parents to stop sending their children to schools and asked educational institutions to grant holiday to students with fever and cold symptoms.

A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting convened by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru on Monday to take stock of the COVID-19 situation in Karnataka in the wake of a slight increase in new cases.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Health Minister Dinesh Gundurao said that the state health department has taken all necessary preparations and also has COVID-19 guidelines in place. He stressed the need to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among children and said that guidelines in this regard will be issued soon.

The Health Minister reiterated that the COVID-19 situation in the state is not serious and despite a slight increase in new cases, people need not panic. However, he said it is important to remain vigilant. He said that while the situation is not serious, the Chief Minister has advised officials to ensure that ventilators, oxygen, medicines and other essential infrastructure are available to tackle COVID-19.

He said a COVID-19 helpline will be launched to assist the public, while a technical advisory committee has been asked to meet once a week to review the situation and issue necessary instructions. The minister said the meeting noted that it is better for the elderly, pregnant women and those with heart and lung diseases to wear masks as a precautionary measure.

Mr. Dinesh said that the government has procured 5,000 RT-PCR testing kits and they will reach hospitals by Tuesday. He said that the department is also coordinating with the central authorities. According to the Health Department bulletin, Bengaluru has reported the highest number of active COVID-19 cases, with 73 cases out of a total of 80.

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao said, “We are ensuring that any severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) reported in the city’s hospitals undergoes COVID-19 testing.”

“As per the initial advice, the cases do not appear to be dangerous and require self-limitation, however, we will await further instructions from the government,” he explained.

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