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Surveys to help curb Covid spread in rural areas: K’taka CM
Bengaluru Chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday held a meeting with officials from various districts of the state over the surge of Covid-19 cases in rural areas and instructed them to carry out door-to-door surveys and phone triaging to contain the spread of the virus
Bengaluru Chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday held a meeting with officials from various districts of the state over the surge of Covid-19 cases in rural areas and instructed them to carry out door-to-door surveys and phone triaging to contain the spread of the virus.
“It was instructed to conduct house to house survey and segregating patients through phone triaging on priority,” according to a statement from the chief minister’s office (CMO) late on Monday.
“It was instructed that triaging should be conducted in two levels. This should be done within two hours after receiving the test report and also while getting admitted to hospital,” the statement further said.
The measures come even as rural regions in the state witness a surge of new infections in the ongoing second wave, which appears to be showing signs of stabilizing in Bengaluru but shifting to other districts.
Karnataka recorded 38,603 new infections on Monday that takes its active case load to 603,639, the highest in the country.
The state recorded 476 more fatalities including 239 in its capital city.
After showing its biggest decline in over a month, Bengaluru recorded 13,338 new infections, indicating that the worst may still not be over for India’s IT capital.
Bidar, one of the worst affected regions in the state, has seen a significant decline as the border district reported just 172 cases on Monday, according to the daily bulletin of the state health department.
However, all 30 districts of Karnataka reported at least one fatality which shows the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact in the ongoing second wave of infections in the southern state and other parts of the country.
“As there is a surge of cases in the villages, instruction was given to the DCs to give priority to contain (the) pandemic in villages. Action will be taken to provide test reports within 24 hours. Home isolation process to be followed strictly in rural areas,” the statement added.
Karnataka is currently under lockdown-like restrictions which is scheduled to end on May 24. However, at least three ministers of the Yediyurappa government on Monday said that the lockdown should be extended.
“In my personal opinion, it will be good to extend the lockdown. You have seen that in Bengaluru there were 22,000 cases which has now come to 8,000. So the lockdown has been useful,” R Ashok, the revenue minister of Karnataka said.
However, Yediyurappa clarified that a decision will be taken by the cabinet just before the lockdown ends.
During his meeting with district officials, Yediyurappa instructed that medicines should be purchased locally if there is a shortage.
“Oxygen concentrators are being provided to all districts based on the need by the health department. Oxygen supply should be assessed in advance to ensure timely supply. In case of emergencies, it was instructed to coordinate with neighbouring districts,” he said.
