In the wake of rising number of cases for COVID-19 among schoolchildren in districts, other than Bengaluru Urban, the Karnataka government has authorised Deputy Commissioners of respective districts to take a call on closure and functioning of schools, includingresidential schools, and colleges in taluks. They will have to arrive at suitable decisionbased on the number of cases afterconsultation with Health and Education Department officials in the district.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who chaired a meeting on COVID-19 situation in the State with Cabinet Ministers and Technical Advisory Committee on Tuesday, authorised Deputy Commissioners to decide on functioning or closure of schools and colleges in taluks in their districts depending on the number of cases.
On January 4, the government had issued guidelines banning physical classes, except for Class X, XI, and XII in Bengaluru Urban district.
The government issued fresh guidelines on Tuesday and prohibited all rallies and protests.It issued instructions to authorities to take stringent action against those holding public conventions and large gatherings.
However, marriage functions are permitted to be conducted involving not more than 200 people in open spaces and 100 people in closed places strictly adhering to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour.
Public transport, including BMRCL, would operate as per seating capacity only. It was reiterated that the Chief Commissioner BBMP and Deputy Commissioners based on their assessment of the situation have been empowered to impose additional containment measures as deemed necessary in their jurisdictions.
There would be intensive surveillance at the border of Maharashtra, Kerala, and Goa as per the prevailing circular/guidelines issued by Department of Health and family Welfare.
These containment measures would remain in force up to 5 a.m. on January 31.
In a reply to a question, Home Minister Araga Jnanedra said a decision on the weekend curfew, which has been enforced till January 19, would be taken after a meeting of the Chief Minister with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
During the two-hour long meeting, Mr. Bommai instructed officials to arrange children’s ward, ICUs, and other facilities for children at taluk and district hospitals. Officials have been told to ensure sufficient stock of medicines in hospitals for providing treatment for children.
To check the number of cases in schools, particularly in residential schools, officials of Education and Health and Family Welfare departments have been asked to conduct a general health check-up of schoolchildren in schools every fortnight.
Deputy Commissioners and Superintendent of Police have been instructed to strictly enforce COVID guidelines in public places.
Instructions have been issued for monitoring the health of those people under home quarantine and ensuring timely distribution of health kits for them. The Chief Minister wanted the officials to strengthen the triaging to ascertain whether an infected person needed hospitalisation or not immediately on getting the test report.
It was decided to utilise the services of House Surgeons and final year nursingstudents in the home isolation and triaging process. A decision was taken to open 27 Covid Care Centers in Bengaluru immediately.
The Home Minister said the meeting directed officials to increase daily testing in Bengaluru to be raised to 1.3 lakh. As a preventive measure, police, health and other frontline workers have been told to take booster doses without delay, he said.
It was decided to adopt a model followed during the second wave of the pandemic last year and officials have been told to take action to decongest the market areas based on the ground realities.
Ministers K. Sudhakar and B.C. Nagesh, Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar and senior officials participated in the meeting.
