Lockdown could be relaxed in Karnataka districts free from Covid-19, hints minister

The death toll caused by coronavirus disease Covid-19 went up by one and six more positive cases took the tally to 181 on Wednesday.

Karnataka’s health and family welfare minister B Sriramulu hinted that lockdown might be relaxed in those areas of the state which are not affected by coronavirus disease Covid-19. The minister made the statement after discussion with officials. Eighteen of the 30 districts in the state have Covid-19 positive cases but the rest 12 don’t.

Traffic policemen wear visors on the face mask while checking vehicles during the nationwide lockdown amid coronavirus pandemic, in Bengaluru on Wednesday. (ANI Photo)

Sriramulu’s statement came after primary and education minister S Suresh Kumar, briefing the media at a separate event, said that an expert panel of doctors had submitted its recommendations to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on the lockdown and related issues. The task force formed by the Karnataka government to combat Covid-19 as well as the state cabinet will meet on Thursday and is expected to take a decision on whether to extend the lockdown, and if yes, how to go about it.

Meanwhile, news agency PTI quoted Chief Minister Yediyurappa as saying that he intends to relax liquor sales stopped during the lockdown (after it ends on April 14), especially to increase revenues. There have been reports of suicides, allegedly due to non-availability of liquor, and incidents of robbery at locked liquor outlets across Karnataka.

A 65-year-old fruit vendor died of Covid-19 in Kalburgi on Thursday, bringing the death toll in the state due to coronavirus to five. Also, six more people tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the state’s tally to 181. Among the six new cases, two were associated with the event held by Tablighi Jamaat at its markaz (centre) in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area.

After a video of a child of a nurse pining and crying for its mother went viral, the chief minister personally called the nurse and thanked her for services rendered.

In the video, three-year-old Aishwarya is seen crying for her mother Sunanda who works as a nurse at Belgavi Institute of Medical Science and because of working in the Covid-19 section has not been able to go to her residence for the last 15 days. Government appealed to the people saying that they should respect the lockdown and stay at home to contain the spread of Covid-19 as thousands of medical and emergency staff are working round the clock to fight the virus.