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‘No Covid restrictions on anything as of now’: Karnataka health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao
Senior citizens urged to be cautious amid surge in Covid cases in Karnataka
Karnataka health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has clarified that there are no Covid restrictions imposed in any part of the state and said that any decision will only be taken after consulting the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). He also stressed that the virus, at this point, doesn’t have any serious implications on public health and asked people not to panic.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Rao said, “As of now there are no restrictions on any public gatherings, travel, stay and any other movement. We are going to increase the number of tests across the state, and we are ready to face any situation. As of now, the public health in the state is not severely impacted by the new variant and we are not planning for any sort of restrictions.”
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The minister also reiterated that the senior citizens must wear masks and sanitize their hands. “It is important for people above the age of 60 to be cautious, especially when they are venturing into public spaces. People with co-morbidities must also take special care,” he added.
Two people from Karnataka reportedly died after getting infected with Covid-19 on Wednesday amid a surge in infections after the emergence of a new subvariant of the virus, called JN.1. Both of the deceased were male, aged 44 and 76. On Wednesday, Karnataka logged 20 fresh cases, having conducted a total of 808 tests, out of which 407 were RTPCR tests and 401 were Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT). The state had a positivity rate of 2.47 per cent.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah is scheduled to hold a review meeting on Thursday. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has been directed to take necessary isolation measures to avoid the spread in Bengaluru. As a precautionary measure, the state has decided to buy 30,000 additional rapid antigen kits by Saturday this week.
According to the health department, there are around seven lakh RT-PCR kits in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Belagavi and Kalaburagi divisions
