Karnataka CM Bommai says extra precautionary measures needed in border districts to control Covid-19

Bommai made the remarks during his visit to Mangaluru, the headquarters of Dakshina Kannada district, where the Covid-19 cases have seen a significant spurt recently.

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said that more precautionary measures were needed in districts surrounding the state’s borders to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19). He also directed the officials in the border districts to be vigilant to the spread of the virus.

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai.(PTI)

Bommai made the remarks during his visit to Mangaluru, the headquarters of Dakshina Kannada district, where the Covid-19 cases have seen a significant spurt recently. “I have come here to review the Covid-19 situation. Our objective is to completely control Covid-19 in Dakshina Kannada district. There is a need to take extra precautionary measures in the border regions,” news agency PTI quoted Bommai as saying.

Asking district officials to allow people from the neighbouring states into Karnataka only after checking their negative report of a Covid-19 test, Bommai said that he plans to visit other border districts soon. The chief minister visited Mysuru earlier and is scheduled to visit Udupi on Thursday.

In Mangaluru, Bommai inaugurated a new intensive care unit at the Wenlock Madison government hospital. “We are increasing the number of ventilators, ICU beds and oxygen beds. We started the programme to be ready to deal with any challenge. We need to be more prepared,” he said. Further, he said that his government would set up an ICU unit in the paediatric centres in the district and 100-bed Taluk hospitals.

As many as 1,826 people tested positive for the disease in Karnataka on Wednesday taking the total confirmed cases so far to 2,922,875, according to a bulletin from the state health department. The state has been reporting over at least 1,100 new infections every day since the past few days. Meanwhile, 36,881 people have succumbed to the illness so far.

Dakshina Kannada is one among the five districts where more than 100,000 cases have been reported so far. It lies on the state’s border with neighbouring Kerala. Bommai’s directions on more precautions came as Kerala continues to report a high number of daily new cases.

On Wednesday, 23,500 people tested positive in Kerala and the test positivity rate stood at 14.49%, according to the state government’s data. Karnataka already has implemented some restrictions such as mandatory Covid-19 negative certificate and testing on travellers arriving in the state from Kerala.