Karnataka eases curbs on interstate travel: Malls, restaurants to be open from June 8

Coronavirus

A decision to open schools, colleges, educational, training, coaching institutions will be taken in July after consulting with the stakeholders.

PTI

The Karnataka government on Sunday lifted restrictions on the inter-state and intra-state movement of people and goods as it laid the roadmap for easing lockdown in a phased manner outside the containment zones. In keeping with the directives of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar issued an order, which will immediately come into effect and "will be in force up to June 30, 2020." "There shall be no restriction on inter-state and intra- state movement of persons and goods. No separate permission/approval/e-permit will be required for such movements," the order read. Lifting restrictions on inter-State and intra-State movement of persons and goods, the order said based on public health and assessment of the prevalence of COVID-19 in various states, separate orders will be issued by Health and Family Welfare Department on inter state movement of people to Karnataka. The government order also said in the first phase, religious places and places of worship for public, hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services and shopping malls will be allowed to function from June 8. Whereas, in the second phase, a decision to open schools, colleges, educational, training, coaching institutions will be taken in July after consulting with the stakeholders. "The state government will hold consultations at the institution level with parents and other stakeholders. Based on the feedback, a decision on re-opening of these institutions will be taken in the month of July, 2020," the order read. The government will take a call on resuming international air travel of passengers, metro rail, cinema halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places based on the assessment of the situation. It said the decision to re-start social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural and religious functions and other large congregation would be taken later. The night curfew hours have been relaxed further. Instead of 7 pm to 7 am, the night curfew will be effective from 9 pm to 5 am throughout the state except for essential activities. In the containment zones, lockdown shall continue to remain in force till June 30, the order said adding that only the essential activities will be allowed there. The district and municipal authorities have to identify the buffer zones outside the containment zones. The government has appealed to those above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years to stay at home, except for essential and health purposes.

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299 new COVID-19 cases in Karnataka, state crosses 3,000 mark

Coronavirus

Of the new cases on Sunday, 252 of the patients had returned from Maharashtra, while seven are foreign returnees.

Prajwal Bhat

On the last day of Lockdown 4.0, Karnataka reported 299 coronavirus cases, the highest single-day rise recorded in the state yet. The cases reported on Sunday saw the total number of cases in the state soar over the 3,000-mark. The state has now reported 3,221 cases since the first case was reported on March 8.  Of the new cases on Sunday, 252 of the patients had returned from Maharashtra, while seven are foreign returnees. Meanwhile, the contacts of 19 patients, including 10 from Bengaluru Urban district, are still being traced. The spike in cases was reported even as the Karnataka government issued orders for phase-wise relaxation of the lockdown in the state along the lines of the guidelines issued by the Union government.  After 33 cases were reported on Saturday, 21 more COVID-19 cases were reported from Bengaluru Urban district on Sunday. This includes four more patients connected to the cases that emerged in a slum in DG Halli in the city, where a 38-year-old woman with a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) tested positive on May 25.   The area in DG Halli, where she stays, has been declared a containment zone by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).  A rise in COVID-19 cases was reported in the Kalyana Karnataka region in the north-eastern part of the state.  On Sunday, 83 cases were reported in Raichur district, which until May 18 had not recorded any COVID-19 case. Of this, 82 are returnees from Maharashtra while one had returned to the district from Bengaluru. This takes the number of cases reported in Raichur to 217. Forty-four new cases were reported in Yadgir district, a stark contrast from two weeks ago when only two positive cases were reported in the district. As on Sunday, the north Karnataka district has recorded 285 COVID-19 cases.  Thirty-three new cases were reported in Bidar district while Kalaburagi and Vijayapura districts recorded 28 and 26 new cases respectively.  The cases in coastal Karnataka also increased on Sunday with 14 cases reported in Dakshina Kannada, 10 cases in Udupi and five cases in Uttara Kannada. The cases in the coastal region of the state, too, had increased in tandem with the return of people residing in other states, over the last two weeks.  Thirteen cases each were reported in Mandya and Belagavi while six cases were also reported in Davangere and one each in Ballari, Shivamogga and Kolar. The six new cases reported on Sunday from Davangere include three healthcare workers who worked at a COVID-19 isolation ward. Two deaths were reported in the state on Sunday, taking the total death to ( ). This includes a 50-year-old man from Raichur district, who had returned from Maharashtra on May 21. He was diagnosed with SARI, severe pneumonia, sepsis and respiratory failure. A 75-year-old man from Bidar district, too, succumbed after developing fever, breathlessness and hypertension. He was a resident of a containment zone in Bidar and was admitted to a private hospital on 18 May. He died at his residence on May 29 before his test result returned positive on Sunday.  Two days ago, the state reported 248 new cases, a majority of which were people who returned from Maharashtra. The active cases in the state is now 1,950 while 1,218 people have made a full recovery after being infected by the virus. 

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33 new COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru, 11 traced to containment zone in DG Halli

Coronavirus

The slum area in Bengaluru’s DG Halli, where the 11 cases were reported, has been demarcated as a containment zone with no activity allowed inside.

TNM Staff

BBMP Commissioner Anil Kumar

Thirty-three coronavirus cases were reported in Bengaluru on Saturday, setting off alarm bells among the health department officials in Karnataka as it is the highest single-day increase in the number of COVID-19 cases reported in the city.  Eleven cases have been traced to patient 2180, a 38-year-old woman with a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI), who tested positive on May 25. She is a resident of a slum area in DG Halli in Bengaluru and lives with a family of more than 10 members. Many of her family members are among those who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in this cluster, including a two-year-old baby, a five-year-old boy and an eight-year-old boy. The slum area in DG Halli, where the cases were reported, has been demarcated as a containment zone with no activity allowed inside. While 11 patients were traced as contacts of the woman, health officials said that several other cases, which are marked as 'contacts under tracing', are also from the same cluster in DG Halli. This takes the number of cases reported in Bengaluru Urban to 336, the highest amongst the districts in the state.  In the three days prior to Saturday, the state health department reported just 27 cases from Bengaluru, many of whom had returned from abroad or other states, including Tamil Nadu and New Delhi. But the cases reported on Saturday include patients who contracted the virus from the containment zone now marked out in DG Halli.  The number of cases reported in Karnataka rose to 2,922 on Saturday after 141 cases were recorded in the state. With the rising number of cases, the state health department decided to do away with the mid-day bulletin and will report state-wide figures only in the evening.  Health officials further confirmed that more than 1 lakh 10 thousand people were currently quarantined across 4,290 quarantine centres in the state. This includes 14,791 people who are under observation for being the primary contacts, and 13,747 people who are the secondary contacts. A total of 997 patients have recovered from the disease in the state.   

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Bengaluru corporator greets large crowd after testing positive for coronavirus, booked

Coronavirus

Visuals of Pasha waving and greeting to his supporters on board an ambulance went viral on social media platforms.

Soumya Chatterjee

A day after he tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, Bengaluru police booked Padarayanapura ward corporator Imran Pasha on Saturday for violating physical distancing norms and other related offences. The complaint was registered by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials after he allegedly resisted cooperating with health officials to go into a treatment facility. “He was informed that he should be admitted on Friday night itself. But he neglected this and kept delaying his admission. When we went to his house on Saturday he made us wait, later while he was getting on the ambulance, his supporters gathered and shouted slogans. So he was knowingly not cooperating and increasing the chance of spread of infection,”  Dr Manoranjan Hegde, BBMP West Health Officer stated to TNM. Imran Pasha, JD(S) corporator of Padarayanapura in Bengaluru, seen here greeting a crowd after testing positive for COVID-19. An FIR has been registered against him. Video via @nolanentreeo pic.twitter.com/9nSzQj2rH7 — Prajwal (@prajwalmanipal) May 31, 2020 Visuals of Pasha waving and greeting his supporters on board an ambulance went viral on social media platforms. The video was shot as he was being taken to Victoria Hospital from his residence on Saturday afternoon. In the same video he can be seen getting off the ambulance to touch the feet of an elderly woman. This had attracted scathing criticism from social media users. Jagajeevanram Nagar police station inspector Shivaji Rao confirmed the development and said that procedural action was being taken. The First Information Report against him has been registered under sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) 271 (disobedience of quarantine rule) of the Indian Penal Code and the provisions of the National Disaster Management Authority Act. Pasha had tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday evening. It later came to light that the corporator had tested positive without any known contact with an already infected individual or any relevant travel history. Padarayanapura ward, incidentally, has the highest number of cases in Bengaluru with a total of 67 cases as of Saturday evening. It was sealed off during the initial days of the lockdown. It had made headlines after violence erupted on April 20 in the ward. Many residents of the ward began rioting after they were asked by BBMP and health department officials to undergo institutional quarantine.  At the time 11 persons were confirmed positive for COVID-19 from the ward including four Tablighi Jamaat attendees. Following the violence, around 120 persons were arrested out of whom five tested positive for the disease.

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Olinda Pereira, noted social worker and educationist from Karnataka, passes away at 95

Death

She was the founder of Principal School of Social Work, Roshni Nilaya in Mangaluru and founder of the Vishwas Trust.

Harsha Raj Gatty

Dr Olinda Pereira (95), the founder of Principal School of Social Work, Roshni Nilaya, Mangaluru and founder of Vishwas Trust, passed away on Sunday. She is known for introducing social work education in Karnataka. Born into a Catholic family on August 15, 1925, Olinda was the youngest daughter of Martin and Lily. She received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from St. Agnes College, followed by a Bachelor of Education degree (B Ed) from St Ann’s. She taught in St. Mary’s High School for 12 years. She then went on to complete her MA in psychology from Banaras Hindu University. She joined French religious congregation Daughter of the Heart of Mary and travelled to Paris in 1961 for her religious formation. When she returned, she was part of the founding team of School of Social Work, Roshni Nilaya and served as Founder Principal of the college from 1961 to 1982. She was awarded a PhD by Mysore University for her thesis on the adjustment problems of pre-adolescents. School of Social Work, Roshni Nilaya was the first of its kind educational institution in the state and was affiliated to Mangalore University. The institution started off with a diploma course in social work. Later, the University sanctioned a postgraduate degree Masters in Social Work. The graduate course of Bachelor’s in Social Work was sanctioned in 1972 with the intake limit of 50 students. In 2007, the college became autonomous.  Post retirement, Dr Olinda went on to start Institute for Working Women’s Hostel and Women’s Development Centre in Delhi. She stayed in Delhi until 1991 and was then transferred to Nairobi where she set up a new Provincial House. She returned to Delhi in 1994. Upon returning to Mangalore, she started working for the causes of senior citizens. She founded Vishwas Trust in 1999. With Vishwas, she spearheaded the cause of senior citizens. Vishwas provides daycare facilities for the elderly and also trains people to treat and provide geriatric care. Vishwas also runs a 24-hour helpline for the elderly in collaboration with Pandeshwar Police Station. Dr Olinda also served as the president of the National Committee on Women. Her publications included 'Understanding Children', 'Adjustment and its Correlation among Pre Adolescents' and 'Domestic Workers' Struggle'. She was honoured with Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada in 1979, Women Achiever Award from St Agnes College in 1997, Sandesha Award for Social Service in 2002; Rachana Woman of the Year in 2008, Veera Rani Abbakka Award (for Social Service) and Karavali Honorary Award 2015-16. Content provided by StoryInfinity

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3 days of Bengaluru rains: 2 dead, trees uprooted, electricity cut off in some places

Rains

Bengaluru saw heavy rains on three consecutive days, which have wreaked havoc in many parts of the city.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Bengaluru saw heavy rains on three consecutive days which have wreaked havoc in many parts of the city. On Friday, May 29, the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) daily rain reports said that many areas in the city saw heavy rainfall.  RR Nagar saw 58 mm of rain, Bagaluru reported 50 mm, Gantigehalli reported 70 mm, Raj Mahal reported 54 mm, Peenya 54 mm, and Bangalore University campus reporting 56 mm in a single day. While many Bengalureans may be enjoying the pre-monsoon rains that have been lashing the city for the past few days, many areas in Bengaluru have been struggling with waterlogging, and power outages as a result of the downpour The heavy rains and winds have also resulted in the falling of several trees in the city. According to the BBMP’s rain damage report for Friday, May 29, the civic body received a total of 60 complaints of tree fallings. The East zone under the BBMP’s classification was the worst-effected, with 15 fallen tree complaints. RR Nagar and Yelahanka zones were also badly affected, with 12 incidents of trees falling each. The West zone received 11 tree fall complaints.  btm 2nd stage #BangaloreRains pic.twitter.com/8skEqn1WSS — Srikant (@Sree347) May 24, 2020 Look at how much rain we got at Sahakarnagar yesterday! This is close to 10% of Bangalore’s yearly average @BngWeather ?#BangaloreRains pic.twitter.com/QeTUjFgwbC — Sachin (@sachinuc) May 30, 2020 There were also 2 complaints of rain waterlogging in West Zone and Yelahanka zone also had four water logging complaints. Heavy rain and Strong winds in bangalore #Bangalore #Bengaluru #BangaloreRains pic.twitter.com/cQyd0fx4DM — Rahul Singh (@desiprogrammer) May 24, 2020 Due to heavy rains over the past week, two lives have also been lost in the pre-monsoon showers the city witnessed. Falling trees and unstable constructions led to the loss of life of two working women in the city. Read: Techie and lab technician killed in rain-related incidents in Bengaluru Several Bengalureans also complained of power outages even as work from home continued amid the lockdown. The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) also received several complaints of electricity supply being disconnected due to the rains. #BangaloreRains Guess what? Power has gone! @NammaBESCOM pic.twitter.com/BQPbd3qLCG — Akash Chaudhuri (@akash_chaudhuri) May 28, 2020 One day, in the far future, rains and electricity will coexist in Bangalore. One day. — Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) May 30, 2020 Heavy rain's in and around our thippasandra ward, many trees have been uprooted, we request all our residents to reach home safely and pl feel free to call us on 9481406267#BengaluruRains@Abhilas04478233 @ pic.twitter.com/BMxG5X3yNl — IYC C.V. Raman Nagar Social Media (@v_iyc) May 26, 2020 Siddappa, a BESCOM engineer in Koramangala division, told TNM, "Three electric poles fell during the rains in our division. This might happen because a tree falls on a wire, and the wires are unable to withstand the weight, and so the pole also comes down. We have to then cut the power supply, and clear the trees before we can fix the poles and resume power. Now the poles have all been fixed.  

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Karnataka Public Accounts Committee mulls privilege motion against Speaker

Coronavirus

The PAC chairman HK Patil said that the Speaker blocking their probe into the procurement of COVID-19 equipment is equivalent to corruption.

TNM Staff

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Karnataka state legislature, led by senior Congress MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) HK Patil, is planning to move a privilege motion against Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri for not probing alleged corruption in the procurement of COVID-19 equipment. The PAC had already sought a report from the Health and Family Welfare Department after allegations of corruption surfaced with regards to the misuse of public money in the procurement of devices and personal protective equipment. The Hindu reported that the Speaker had already barred the PAC to probe the matter on May 27 through an order. The order barred the members of the committee to make field visits or met department officials citing the COVID-19 pandemic. Hindu quoted Patil saying that the Speaker’s order was equivalent to encouraging corruption and restricting the power and privilege of MLAs and the PAC itself. The Hindu report said that a decision if the PAC will move a privilege motion against the Speaker will be taken in a meeting scheduled to be held on June 2. The Times of India reported that the PAC had sought permission to visit quarantine facilities and COVID-19 hospitals and do a status check on the quality of the new equipment procured. TOI quoted Kageri saying that the PAC has also written to Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar to keep documentation of the orders made by the state for sanitisers, masks and other goods. The allegation of corruption came as the government had given the Karnataka Drugs Logistics and Warehousing Society exemption from the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act. Patil was further quoted as saying that the PAC was obligated to investigate the orders as complaints came that the same ventilator and sanitisers were purchased at different prices from the same vendor.    

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Karnataka govt bans spitting of tobacco, 'paan masala' in public places

Coronavirus

The World Health Organisation and the Indian Council of Medical Research have already advised against public spitting in view of the pandemic.

TNM Staff

Representational image/PTI

The Karnataka government on Saturday banned spitting of chewed tobacco and 'paan masala' in public places across the state, in an effort to avert the spread of COVID-19, an official said on Saturday. "As per the powers conferred by the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Ordinance 2020 Section 4(2) the state has banned the use of chewing tobacco products and consumption of paan masala products and spitting them in public places, so as to prevent the spread of corona and other communicable diseases," said an official in an order. Violators will be booked under IPC (Indian Penal Code) sections 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 268 ( Public nuisance.), 269(Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and others. The Karnataka government has already banned the sale of single cigarettes. The central government had asked all the states and union territories in April to initiate steps to curb public use of tobacco to tackle the spread of coronavirus. The World Health Organisation and the Indian Council of Medical Research have already advised against public spitting in view of the pandemic. The decision was welcomed by activists who have been campaigning for banning spitting in public places. Odette Katrak, co-founder of Beautiful Bengaluru, who has been driving a #StopIndiaSpitting campaign said, “Chewing tobacco induces the urge to spit and that in today's context is a disaster because it means a faster spread of COVID-19. Our petition and open letter ensured spitting itself is punishable, plus the PM mentioned it in Mann Ki Baat. Now, this announcement to follow gives hope. Even if it doesn't translate to the issue being solved overnight, it puts the issue more surely in the public eye, making it clearly a national priority.” She added, “People will not stop spitting overnight but will not be able to spit as freely anymore. We are certain that if earlier just 35% of those who do not spit got involved, that will now increase 90%  who will get involved and engage with someone spitting- as indicated by a survey we conducted to shape our ongoing campaign.” (IANS inputs)    

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CM Yediyurappa appoints his grand-nephew and former PA as political secretary

Politics

NR Santhosh was seen with rebel leaders from the Congress and JD(S) around the time they resigned, prompting the collapse of the coalition government led by HD Kumaraswamy in 2019.

Prajwal Bhat

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa named his former personal assistant and grand-nephew NR Santhosh as a political secretary of the Chief Minister on Saturday. Santhosh was seen with rebel leaders from the Congress and JD(S) around the time they resigned, prompting the fall of the coalition government led by HD Kumaraswamy in 2019. This paved the way for the BJP to seize power in Karnataka. Santhosh was seen with 11 rebel leaders from the Congress and the JD(S) outside the Oakwood Hotel in Bengaluru’s UB City just a few minutes before the legislators tendered their resignations to the Speaker’s office. He was also seen with independent MLA H Nagesh when he boarded a flight at the HAL airport in Bengaluru.  The appointment of Santhosh, a known former aide of Yediyurappa and a BJP member with close links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), comes at a time seven BJP leaders, particularly from north Karnataka, got together for closed-door meetings.  The appointment of Santhosh means that he will join senior MLAs MP Renukacharya and SR Vishwanath as political secretaries to the Chief Minister. Prior to his appointment, there were rumours of NR Santhosh distancing himself from Yediyurappa's camp and identifying himself with a rival camp. Santhosh worked closely with BS Yediyurappa for three years in the lead-up to the 2018 Assembly elections, interacting with MLA candidates across the state at that time.  "For many MLAs and party members, Santhosh was the point of contact to reach Yediyurappa but this was not the case after he became the Chief Minister," a source in the BJP told TNM. This came as a surprise to many within the party since he was repeatedly seen with rebel leaders from the Congress and the JD(S) and playing a role. But with his appointment as political secretary, he is once again involved closely with BS Yediyurappa.

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Centre allows unrestricted movement across country, states can restrict if needed

Coronavirus

State governments are allowed to impose restrictions if they wish and publicise it.

TNM Staff

The guidelines for lockdown 5.0 have been announced by the Central government and in a relief for people across the country, unrestricted movement of people and goods has been allowed. The Centre has however allowed states to regulate movement if necessary. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in its order stated that unrestricted movement of people and goods will be allowed both within states and across different states. "There will be no restriction on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods,” reads the order issued by the MHA. While it stated that no separate permissions or e-permits were required for travelling, it also allowed state governments to frame rules by assessing the situation in their respective states.  “No separate permission/approval/e-permit will be required for such movements. However, if a state/union territory, based on reasons of public health and its assessment of the situation, proposes to regulate movement of persons, it will give wide publicity in advance regarding the restrictions to be placed on such movement and the related procedures to be followed," reads the order.  In the past few weeks, most states had started specific portals and asked people to register if they wanted to travel. There has been much confusion and chaos with states imposing different restrictions. The order further stated that the movement of special categories of persons including passenger trains, shramik trains, domestic and international air travel will continue to be regulated by standard operating procedures issued in advance.  “Movement by passenger trains and Shramik special trains, domestic air passenger travel, movement of Indian nationals stranded outside the country and of specified persons to travel abroad, evacuation of foregin nationals, and sign-on and sign-off of Indian seafarers will continue to be regulated as per SOPs issued,” reads the order. The order further states that the movement of goods and cargo will not be stopped “for cross land-border trade under treaties with neighboring countries”. While the lockdown was extended in containment zones in the country till June 30, phases for reopening of non-containment zones will begin starting June 8. 

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Bengaluru airport increases user development fee to compensate for revenue loss

Aviation

The new UDF will be applicable from June 1 for the year 2020-21.

IANS

Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has raised User Development Fee (UDF) by 17% for departing international passengers to compensate for revenue loss, an official said on Saturday. "The revised UDF for departing passengers at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru is Rs 184 per pax (domestic) and Rs 839 per pax (international)," said an airport official. Earlier, the UDF was Rs 179 per pax (domestic) and Rs 716 per pax (international). The UDF for domestic departing passengers rose by 3% and for international passengers by 17 per cent. The new UDF will be applicable from June 1 for the year 2020-21. According to the airport, the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has allowed Bengaluru Airport to increase the fees to compensate the loss of discontinuation of Fuel Throughput Charges (FTC). "AERA issued an order on May 26, 2020, allowing BIAL to increase landing charges and UDF for FY 2020-21 to compensate for the revenue loss, as a result of abolition of FTC," said the spokesperson. On January 8, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) ordered AERA to direct airport operators to discontinue FTC levy on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) in any form at all airports. “The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) issued an order dated January 8, 2020 – addressed to AERA – directing airport operators to discontinue the levy of Fuel Throughput Charges (FTC) on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), in any manifestation, at all airports. It further directed AERA to compensate airport operators for this loss of revenue, as FTC was a regulated charge, by recalibrating other regulated charges such as landing charges and UDF,” a BIAL spokesperson said. FTC is also a regulated charge.

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'No complete lockdown in Karnataka on Sunday': CM Yediyurappa confirms

Coronavirus

The Karnataka government had earlier announced on May 18 that a complete lockdown in the state would take place on May 24 and 31.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government has confirmed that the complete lockdown proposed for Sundays will not be followed this week.  In a statement released by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), it was clarified that the lockdown restrictions will not be followed due to public demand.  "Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has said that due to public demand, there will be no complete lock down on Sunday 31.05.2020 for the benefit of the people of the state," read the statement from the CMO. ಈ ಭಾನುವಾರ ಕಂಪ್ಲೀಟ್ ಲಾಕ್ ಡೌನ್ ಇಲ್ಲ ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕರ ಬೇಡಿಕೆ ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ, ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಜನತೆಯ ಹಿತದೃಷ್ಟಿಯಿಂದ ನಾಳೆ ದಿನಾಂಕ 31.05.2020 ಭಾನುವಾರದಂದು ಕಂಪ್ಲೀಟ್‌ ಲಾಕ್ ಡೌನ್ ಇರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಶ್ರೀ ಬಿ ಎಸ್ ಯಡಿಯೂರಪ್ಪ ಅವರು ತಿಳಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ.1/2 — Karnataka Varthe (@KarnatakaVarthe) May 30, 2020 "Against this backdrop, all day-to-day activities on Sundays are as usual," added the statement.  The Karnataka government had earlier announced on May 18 that a complete lockdown in the state on Sundays starting from 7 pm on Saturday evening and ending at 7 am on Monday morning.  Other than essential services, strict curfew was followed in Bengaluru and other parts of the state on May 24. Public transport was stopped and shops remained closed on this day. The curfew restricted people's movements until 7 am on Monday when normal services resumed.  This was expected to be followed once again on May 31, the last day of the current lockdown rules announced by the government. However, the state government has decided against holding a lockdown this Sunday.  Day curfew withdrawn on Sunday. ನಾಳೆ ದಿನಾಂಕ 31.05.2020 ಭಾನುವಾರ ಕಂಪ್ಲೀಟ್‌ ಲಾಕ್ ಡೌನ್ ಇರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಈ ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ, ನಾಳೆ ಎಲ್ಲ ದೈನಂದಿನ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳು ಎಂದಿನಂತೆ ಇರಲ್ಲಿದ್ದು, ಸಂಜೆ 7 ಗಂಟೆಯಿಂದ ಬೆಳಗ್ಗೆ 7 ಗಂಟೆಯವರೆಗೆ ಕರ್ಫ್ಯೂ ಜಾರಿಯಲ್ಲಿರುತ್ತದೆ.#BBMPFightsCovid19 #BBMP #Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/h6Sr3CuSW4 — B.H.Anil Kumar,IAS (@BBMPCOMM) May 30, 2020 This is despite the fact that on Friday, the state reported the highest single-day increase in coronavirus cases. 248 new cases were reported on the day taking the state's total tally to 2781. 303 of these cases have been reported in Bengaluru while almost half of the cases reported are those who returned from Maharashtra to the state over the past few days.  Despite the increasing cases, the state government has favoured reducing the restrictions of the lockdown within the state. The state government however has mandated institutional quarantine for international and inter-state travellers flying in from high-risk states. 

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Bajrang Dal leader booked for assault, forcing minor to chant ‘Jai Sri Ram’ in Karnataka

Crime

The Vittala police in Bantwala taluk have registered a case and are investigating.

TNM Staff

A 25-year old Bajrang Dal leader in Bantwala taluk was booked on charges of threatening and assaulting a boy and forcing him to chant 'Jai Sri Ram' in Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka, police said on Friday. The accused Dinesh is reportedly a leader of the Bajrang Dal. Along with him were minors, one aged 17, and two others aged 16 years old. The three minor boys have also been booked by the police, Deccan Herald reported. The incident occurred in communally sensitive Bantwal taluk a few days ago. After a video of the incident was spread widely on social media, the victim along with his parents filed a complaint with the Vittala police on Thursday. Reports say that the boy did not tell anyone about the attack, but when the video went viral, his parents decided to act. Based on the complaint received, a case was registered at Vittala police station against Bajrang Dal leader Dinesh of Kanyana and the three minor boys. The four had allegedly accosted the victim, who is a PUC student and hails from Kudtamugeru village, at a school ground and threatened to kill him if he did not chant the slogan, police said. Daiji world reported that the boy was forced to sit on a motorcycle at  Kadumath High School where he was allegedly attacked and faced death threats. The boy was forced to chant "Jai Sri Ram" by the four accused who also took money from him, the police reportedly added. Bantwala has seen several communally-charged incidents in the past. Recently, a rescue mission took a communal turn when BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje tweeted that the Muslim people who were trying to rescue someone from a suicide attempt were actually trying to murder him. Read: Muslim men rescue man from Netravati river, their attempt portrayed as communal violence With PTI inputs.  

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Trouble brews in Karnataka BJP as MLAs push for cabinet expansion amid pandemic

Politics

Several closed-door meetings have been held under the leadership of Hukkeri MLA Umesh Katti.

Theja Ram

It seems that not even the coronavirus pandemic is stopping politicians in Karnataka from lobbying for ministerial berths. While the state government is busy with tackling the increasing COVID-19 cases in the state, seven BJP leaders have held multiple closed-door meetings to discuss strategies to procure ministerial berths.  Sources say Bijapur City MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal, Hukkeri MLA Umesh Katii, Bilagi MLA Murugesh Nirani and four others have met over the last few weeks to discuss strategies to procure ministerial berths.  On June 23, five Members of the Legislative Council in Karnataka are set to retire, leaving these five spots vacant. On Thursday, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy announced that Yediyurappa would nominate five leaders to the council. There are four vacant cabinet berths in Karnataka and Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had on February 8 said that Umesh Katti would get a cabinet berth in the next round of expansion. With no move to expand the cabinet due to the coronavirus pandemic, senior leaders in the BJP say that these MLAs are getting restless. “Since MLC nominations are just around the corner, they want to put pressure on Yediyurappa to expand the cabinet. There are many other seniors who are in the race as well and by rebelling they hope to leverage this and get the minister posts,” a BJP leader said.  BJP MLAs Renukacharya, SA Ramdas from Mysuru, Arvind Limbavalli from Bengaluru and leaders from Dakshina Kannada are frontrunners for ministerial posts.  A few voices in the BJP are already making their discontent clear. On Friday, Bijapur MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal told media persons that Yediyurappa does not have decision-making powers anymore. “Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda are our leaders. Chief Minister Yediyurappa does not have decision-making powers,” he said.  In addition, Murugesh Nirani has been very vocal about his aspiration to become a minister. In January this year, Lingayat seer Vachanananda had openly told Yediyurappa to make Murugesh Nirani a minister or the community would withdraw its support. Yediyurappa had retorted and said that threatening him was unwarranted. Once a close associate of BS Yediyurappa, Nirani and the Chief Minister grew apart after the fiasco surrounding the Lingayat seer’s ultimatum. “They were very close at one point and when Yediyurappa split from the BJP in 2012, Nirani had stood by him. Since a lot of the dynamics have changed in the party since 2012, it is not so easy to get a ministerial post without the high command’s approval,” the BJP source said.  BJP sources with knowledge about the closed-door meeting held recently said that if the posts are not granted, they would gather more support to split from the party and defect.  “AH Vishwanath is also unhappy now as it is uncertain whether he will be nominated for the post of MLC. Without that, he cannot become a minister. And there are many other leaders from north Karnataka, who are aspirants. We have not been given enough representation. Since there are many aspirants, the leaders are pushing for a reshuffle as well,” the source added.   

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Stuck in Germany for over 3 months, Viswanathan Anand to return to India

Travel

The five-time world champion will undergo 14 days quarantine as per rules laid down by the Karnataka government.

Prajwal Bhat

Chess grandmaster and former world chess champion Viswanathan Anand will finally arrive in India on Saturday afternoon after being stuck in Germany for more than three months due to the travel restrictions imposed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. "He will be returning today and landing in Bengaluru in the afternoon. He will be following the quarantine policy issued by the Karnataka government," Aruna Anand, the chess maestro's wife, told TNM. Anand, who boarded an Air India flight (AI-120) from Frankfurt on Friday night will reach Bengaluru via Delhi. He is expected to reach Bengaluru at 1.15 pm. The five-time world champion will undergo 14 days quarantine at a Covid Care Centre (CCC) as per rules laid down by the Karnataka government. He will be tested upon arrival and at the end of the two-week quarantine period, and if he tests negative, he will be free to return home.  "He will be coming to Chennai only after completing the quarantine protocol in Bengaluru," Aruna Anand said. The flights from Germany are only scheduled to land only in Delhi and Bengaluru. The chess ace was in Germany to play in the Bundesliga chess league and was to return to India, but was forced to stay put after the COVID-19 outbreak restricted movement. It also disrupted sports schedules across the world. He was staying in Bad Soden, a town near Frankfurt and was doing online commentary for the Candidates tournament, which was called off mid-way due to the pandemic, and led the Indian team in the Online Nations Cup early this month. Anand had been in touch with his family in Chennai on a regular basis via video calls and kept himself busy with chess-related work. He also raised money for COVID-19 relief by competing in an online chess tournament with other leading Indian chess players on April 11. The event was streamed live online, where all donations made were sent to the PM CARES fund. (With inputs from PTI)

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73% of beds in Karnataka quarantine centres are occupied, state may face shortage

Coronavirus

As of Friday, there are 1,279 government quarantine centres, officials said.

Theja Ram

PTI Kolkata, Representative image

As travel is expected to increase in the next few weeks, Karnataka is likely staring at a shortage of beds at quarantine centres, health department officials say. Karnataka is currently housing 1.1 lakh people in quarantine centres across the state. With the government’s capacity of 1.5 lakh beds in these quarantine centres, 73% of the beds are currently occupied, according to the director of the Heath Department, Omprakash Patil. As of Friday, there are 1,279 government quarantine centres, according to Omprakash Patil, Director of Health and Family Welfare Department. He further states that various district administrators have identified additional quarantine facilities. However, this may not be adequate, he maintains. Considering that people keep coming in and out of quarantine centres, there will be an overlap at some point and there could be a situation where the state government may run out of quarantine centres, Director Omprakash added. Karnataka also reduced its mandatory institutional quarantine rule from 14 days to 7 days earlier in May.  “People keep moving out of quarantine centres every day and this number keeps changing on a daily basis. In Kalaburagi alone there are 38,000 people in quarantine centres. On an average around 2000 to 4000 people come  in via flights every day. In the next two days, the guidelines for quarantine are expected to change,” Omprakash Patil said.  On Friday night, the Karnataka government announced that only passengers coming in from six high-risk states including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, would have to undergo mandatory institutional quarantine. And the state government further made it mandatory for the people to pay for their COVID-19 tests upon arrival.  This decision comes just a day after Karnataka’s Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy made a U-turn regarding banning flights from five states including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Hours after he told the media that the cabinet had decided to ban flights from these states, he retracted his statement and said the movement would be restricted.  Madhuswamy had stated that since people were coming in large numbers from these states, there were concerns about quarantine facilities.  Sources in the Health Department said that the expert committee to tackle COVID-19 in Karnataka had recommended that the state government should do away with institutional quarantine, at least for people from low-risk states. “This is because of the fear that even those who do not have the infection may get it at the quarantine centres. However, institutional quarantine has helped stop the spread of infection as many people are travelling from other states. The problem is how to monitor people if we do away with institutional quarantine and mandate home quarantine. This is also because 95% of those who tested positive are asymptomatic,” a senior health department official said. Health Department officials say that if the government decides to do away with institutional quarantine for everyone, then people would be asked to download the Arogya Setu app, so the surveillance offices can track their movements. “But there is a problem with this too. It's about monitoring more people. As travel restrictions are expected to be eased further, we are mulling over whether this is a good decision,” the official added.  

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Bengaluru civic body slaps fine on Swiggy for faulty waste disposal

Civic

The penalty was imposed on Swiggy Kitchen at Katriguppe in the city.

IANS

File photo of Swiggy violating norms

Bengaluru City civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 on the food delivery startup Swiggy for irresponsible disposal of waste, an official said on Friday. "Thinking of food is great - Swiggy. Hope you also think of segregating waste and disposing of it responsibly," tweeted BBMP Solid Waste Management Special Commissioner D. Randeep. Randeep said a penalty of Rs 50,000 was imposed on Swiggy Kitchen at Katriguppe in the city for the violation. "The incident with respect to waste segregation has been brought to our notice and happened at one of our kitchens in Bengaluru," confirmed a Swiggy spokesperson to IANS without revealing the exact details. He said the startup is aware of its civic responsibility and has stringent processes to ensure high standards of compliance. "While we investigate and rectify the root cause of the matter, we are reinforcing necessary awareness on the best practices to be followed amongst our teams and partner network to ensure complete compliance with waste management," the spokesperson added. Swiggy has been penalised earlier as well for its irresponsible disposal of waste. Recently, the BBMP’s solid waste management department has also fined an apartment complex Rs 15,000 for not segregating waste into dry, wet and reject categories. Waste disposal norms for apartments "Segregation of waste is mandatory in apartments. Onus of enforcing segregation rules lies on the (apartment) association and waste should be segregated as dry, wet and reject," said Randeep. InClover Grand Apartments at Baiyappanhalli was penalised for the offence of improper waste disposal. Similarly, BBMP marshals also caught and fined some people openly discarding waste in public spaces. "Dear citizens, please change your old habits. Our marshals are watching and will fine those who throw garbage in public spaces," BBMP Special Commissioner Randeep said. He shared the photographs of two scooter-borne individuals being caught in the act and penalised at Kuvempunagar in Bengaluru.

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Trump says U.S. withdrawing from World Health Organization

The president made the announcement Friday afternoon.

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Roof of Bengaluru’s Tennis Pavilion collapses, over 200 migrant citizens moved out

Lockdown

The migrant citizens comprised of 100 men, 40 women, 45 kids and six children below the age of one.

TNM Staff

The roof of the Tennis Pavilion, located in Bengaluru’s Palace Grounds, came crashing down on migrant workers due to the rains on Friday evening. According to All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) Karnataka, about 100 men, 40 women, 45 kids and six children below the age of one, were present, all of whom were completely drenched after the roof gave way.   Over an hour after the incident, a bus of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) came to pick up the workers with their luggage to transport them to another location. The workers were supposed to be shifted to Tripura Vasini, a banquet hall, but the venue was shut. Workers were still in the bus, completely drenched due to the rain, and no physical distancing could be followed, according to reports. Only after some time passed was the venue opened up.   Narrating the incident, one of the workers said, “The storm came and the roof fell down. We want to tell the government that there are small children, women — a lot of people, they are stuck here. There are people from Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Jharkhand and Odisha here. We request the government to shift these people today itself urgently or will have to move from here on foot,” he said. 1/n From the tennis pavilion now where the roof came crashing down. Workers survived it but are scared, tense, asking for support. We salute bravery of Mr Ravi Kumar of @BlrCityPolice who saved them. @clifroz @ralpharakal @Karmika_Sahaya @WeAreBangalore @DalitCamera @nimmasuresh pic.twitter.com/6JlsDr4YH4 — AICCTU Karnataka (@aicctukar) May 29, 2020 The families were rescued by Ravi Kumar of the Bengaluru City Police when the roof crashed. “We have narrowly survived. There was a police officer who helped us. A lot of people came forward to help to remove the people from under the roof. Everyone's luggage, mobile and cash is stuck under the rubble," the worker said. The migrant citizens, who have been waiting to go home, were left tense, and asked the government for help. Some said they would begin walking home in the morning, according to AICCTU Karnataka. "I fold my hands and request the government to send us back home within 3 days or we will just leave from here,” the worker in the video posted by AICCTU Karnataka said. Another worker with her toddler said that the baby was on her shoulders when the roof collapsed. “We want to go from here. If we stay here, we might lose our baby. I can’t get milk for my baby and she does not eat food but only drinks milk from the bottle. What will we feed the baby?” she asked. One worker said that he will leave tomorrow, with or without the government’s help. “No matter how, we have to leave tomorrow morning. Please help us. We request the government to help us reach our destination somehow. Regardless, we will leave on foot tomorrow. This we promise. We need this because our family members are very scared. If something happens to us here and we die, then everyone in my family will go. There are four-five mouths to feed at home, and I’m the only earning member. This is the case for all families and all people. There is no one to earn,” he said.

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Bengaluru corporator tests positive for coronavirus, no known contacts

Coronavirus

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Commissioner BH Anil Kumar confirmed the development to TNM.

Soumya Chatterjee

In one of the first instances of an elected representative getting directly affected by COVID-19 in Karnataka, Imran Pasha, corporator of Padarayanapura ward in Bengaluru tested positive on Friday. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Commissioner BH Anil Kumar confirmed the development to TNM. “He has tested positive,” Anil Kumar told TNM when asked if the corporator has tested positive. Documents accessed by TNM show he was asymptomatic when he tested positive. He has no known contact with any patient who has already tested positive, neither does he have any relevant travel history. The ward in West Bengaluru has been in the news as it has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the city and was sealed off wholly in the initial days of the lockdown. At present the ward has 25 active cases while a total of 64 cases were reported.  The total number of cases reported from Bengaluru city stands at 303 till date. According to the BBMP, the ward will have containment measures put in place till June 21 if no further cases are reported. The ward was also one of the first places in Bengaluru where mass testing as random tests carried out returned positive results. Padarayanapaura had grabbed headlines after a ruckus took place on April 20 after some residents of the ward did not want to undergo institutional quarantine as asked by the BBMP and Health Department officials. At that time the ward had 11 COVID-19 patients and the health department and BBMP officials were trying to quarantine the primary and secondary contacts. Out of them, four had attended the Tablighi Jamaat conference in Delhi. Following the incident of violence, around 120 persons were arrested by the police for vandalism. Five of those who were arrested and transferred to Ramanaraga district jail had tested positive.

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Air, rail travellers from high risk states to K'taka to pay for mandatory tests on arrival

Coronavirus

Rs 650 has been fixed by the government as the flat fee for test per passenger.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government on Friday passed an order making it mandatory for all  international passengers and those travelling from high-risk states by trains and planes to pay Rs 650 and undertake COVID-19 tests. As of now, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh are categorised as high-risk states, but this is subject to change. Health department officials clarified there is no change in quarantine policy for the incoming passengers. Notably these tests will be carried out by pooling methods (5 samples in one pool as per national guidelines) in real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) kits in private labs. The order said this testing will be carried out to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in the state and the capacity available with private labs will be utilized to the maximum extent to do the tests within 24 hours of them reaching KarnatakaIf the tests are negative, people will be allowed to go to their homes and be in home quarantine for 7 days. The order by the Health and Family Welfare and Ayush Services Commissionerate mentioned that this is being done as there is a limitation on the institutional quarantine capacity available with BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) and various other districts. The crisis in the hospitality industry has arisen due to many migrant workers working in the hospitality sectors having returned to their homes. The order further said that in a meeting conducted with private labs it has been decided to assign them various categories of passengers. For Bengaluru, Xcyton Diagnostics will handle all air passengers, while interstate passengers will be tested by six labs—- Neuberg Anand Reference Laboratories,  Cancyte Technologies Private Limited, Aster Lab, Narayana Hrudayalaya Lab, Vydehi Hospital and Lab andSyngene International Limited. The order mentions that the airport authorities, railways etc. will provide necessary space for establishing swab Collection kiosks or centres free of cost. The order has also mentioned four IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officers as nodal officers for three category of patients. Meena Nagaraj—- international passengers M. Manivannan—- domestic air passengers K Dayanand——- inter-state train passengers These officers will be responsible for the establishment and operationalization of above mentioned testing methodology and further follow-up, the order further said. Further it has been stated that when a passenger tests positive after the test, the jurisdictional District Health and Family Welfare Officer / Chief Health Officer of the BBMP will be informed for necessary movement of patient to hospital, contact tracing and tracking. The Deputy Commissioner of the remaining 29 districts has been asked to set up similar ties with ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) approved private labs with passengers as done above for BBMP or rest of Bengaluru Urban.

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Manipal Institute of Technology students raise concerns but college to go ahead with online exams

Education

Students cited the lack of study materials, stress over the pandemic and logistical issues for opposing online examinations.

Soumya Chatterjee

Manipal Institute of Technology students have raised concerns over the decision to conduct online sessionals and end-semester exams for undergraduate students in the college. An online petition started by anonymous students has garnered over 1,500 signatures so far, and it asks the university to provide alternatives for students who don't wish to opt for online exams, and don't wish to face repercussions due to it.  Manipal Institute of Technology has already held quizzes online over the past week and plans to hold its sessionals in June, again online. The end semester examinations planned in July are also slated to be held online.  Manipal Institute of Technology, a part of Manipal Academy of Higher Education, is based in Manipal, a town in Karnataka's Udupi district. The college attracts thousands of students from across the country for its engineering courses.  The students were forced to cut short their semester and return to their homes in March following the nationwide lockdown imposed due to the outbreak of coronavirus cases. The students were then asked to attend online classes and appear for quizzes in May before their second sessional was scheduled to be held online in June.  Some students are now questioning the need for holding online examinations now and point to the fact that there are students living with the realities of staying in containment zones. "We want the college administration to know some of our concerns and they should not brush aside concerns of mental health and well being. Some of my friends are living in red zones and containment areas in Mumbai but no considerations have been announced for any student," says a student who wished to remain anonymous.  The students pointed to network issues and in some cases, the inability to step out and buy stationary items. Some students also highlighted that they left their notes and study materials in their hostel rooms in Manipal expecting that they would return to the college for writing exams.  The examinations in Manipal University's Jaipur and Sikkim campuses have not been announced and it is only in Manipal that the exams are being held.  In response to the students' concerns, the college administration stated that that more than 95% of its students took part in the quizzes and online classes held this month, a sign that the online mode is not hindering many students. The college administration also says that they will be given the option to take the exam in Manipal after they return to the classrooms.   "We have given them an option that once they can write exams once they come back to the campus. These online exams are not mandatory," says Narayan Sabhahit, Registrar of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) says.  "If any student is unable to appear for the end semester examination for genuine reasons, he/she will be provided an opportunity to write the end semester exam without any penalty aller restoration of near normalcy and when the constituent institutions of MAHE reopen," reads a statement issued by the university.  However, students say that even though the exams are not mandatory, it will hinder them if they do not opt to take them now. "Since I am a 3rd year student, if I do not take the online exam now, I will have to retake the exams along with my seventh semester exams which is when I will be having my placements," says a student of the college who did not wish to be named The college administration says that in this case, it is advisable to take up the exams online now instead of postponing it. "We have told students that during placements, companies expect the results of the sixth semester. Those who decide to take the physical exam later, we don't know when it will be held. We have told students that it is better to take the online examination," Narayan Sabhahit says. The college administration further says that it is not necessary for students to be connected to the internet throughout the exam. "Students would need internet connection only to download the question paper and to upload the answers. The encrypted question paper can be downloaded much in advance of the commencement of the examination. The question paper viewing can only be enabled just before the start of exam through an OTP sent to students registered mobile number," reads a statement issued by the university. It also indicates that the university will reopen for students in August.  

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Karnataka reports 248 COVID-19 cases in a day, Bengaluru total touches 303

Coronavirus

Prior to this, Karnataka has seen a spike of over 200 cases only once before, on May 23, when 216 new cases were reported.

TNM Staff

Friday saw the highest single-day rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka since the onset of the novel coronavirus disease pandemic in the state on March 8, with the addition of 248 new cases. Prior to this only, only May 23 saw a spike of over 200 cases, with an addition of 216 cases. The state on Friday also reported the death of a 50-year-old COVID-19 patient who was admitted to hospital on May 24 with a head injury and died on Friday in a private hospital in Bengaluru. She was suffering from pneumonia and had an acute kidney injury. This brings the tally of COVID-19 fatalities in the state to 48. The 248 cases were distributed in 29 districts of the state with three districts of the Hyderabad-Karnataka region reporting over 60 cases each.  Raichur, with 62 cases, saw the highest number of cases, followed by Kalaburagi, with 61 cases and Yadgir reporting 60 cases. Udupi, which saw the fourth highest cases for Friday, had 15 patients who tested positive while Bengaluru saw a jump in cases by 12. Ballari saw a rise in cases by 11. With this Bengaluru city remains the worst-affected district in the state, with 303 total cases, followed by Mandya which has 257. Kalaburagi is the third-worst affected district in the state with 251 cases, while Yadgir has 223 cases. Rest of the districts have less than 200 cases, with Udupi being the highest of the lot, with 164 cases. Maharashtra returnees form bulk of new cases Among the 227 new cases that were reported on Friday who were among interstate passengers, 208 (91.6%) cases were among patients with travel history to Maharashtra. The 208 cases were divided across 10 districts — 15 cases from Udupi, 2 from Mandya, 60 from Yadgir, 61 from Kalaburagi, 82 from Raichur, four from Vijayapura, and one each from Tumakuru, Ballari Chikkaballapura and Dharwad districts. The rest of the patients are among contacts of infected persons, residents of containment zones, or have international travel history.  Notably, seven people in Bengaluru and one person in Chikkaballapura have no relevant contact or travel history. Eight other patients are contacts of infected persons.

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Karnataka Film Academy requests CM Yediyurappa to allow filming with limited crew

Coronavirus

The academy’s chairman told TNM that physical distancing would be maintained at all sets.

TNM Staff

Members of the Karnataka Film Academy met Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and requested him to grant permission to allow filming in the state. Yediyurappa assured the team that he would discuss with the Centre and then decide on whether shooting of films could be permitted.  Speaking to TNM, Chairman of the Karnataka Film Academy, Sunil Puranik, said that filming for around 60 films has been stopped due to the lockdown and many more will not be able to complete filming if they are not allowed to continue. The industry has suffered a loss of Rs 500 crore during the lockdown period, he said.  “Buses where 40 people can travel have been allowed to operate. Most commercial establishments have been open. But we have not been allowed to function. Between March and May, we have suffered huge losses. In many cases, filming of songs and climax is the only thing remaining. These people too have to earn,” Sunil Puranik said.  The academy’s members also requested CM Yediyurappa to allow single screen theatres to open as multiplexes have to wait for the Centre’s guidelines. He also said that if shooting resumes, precautions will be taken and the government’s guidelines will be adhered to.  “We will obviously have to reduce the number of people who are going to work on the set. The actors will have to remove the masks while we shoot the scenes but all others will have to wear masks and gloves. If we were initially using three technicians, we will have to restrict it to one. These are some of the restrictions we proposed. If the government imposes any other restrictions, we will oblige,” he added.  He said that the academy is hopeful that the government will allow them to begin filming as Yediyurappa was supportive of their requests. “He said that he will speak to the Centre and ask them to allow filming to begin. He said that he is in support of all businesses to begin operations,” Sunil Puranik said.   

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Almost half of Karnataka’s COVID-19 patients are those who returned from Maharashtra

Coronavirus

Prior to this only, only May 23 saw a spike in cases in excess of 200 with an addition of 216 cases

Soumya Chatterjee

Image for representation

More than two months since the onset of the novel coronavirus disease pandemic starting from March 8, almost half of Karnataka’s COVID-19 patients are now those who returned from neighbouring Maharashtra. As the spike in cases continues, till Friday evening, among the 2,781 cases in the state, 1,348 persons are those who tested positive following their return from Maharashtra. This makes up 48.47% of all cases in the state till date. The trend of a high number of Maharashtra returnees testing positive for COVID-19, which has been the case for more than two weeks, was also maintained on Friday. 208 out of the 248 new cases reported on Friday were all returnees from Maharashtra. The 208 were divided across 10 districts — 15 cases from Udupi, 2 from Mandya, 60 from Yadgir, 61 from Kalaburagi, 82 from Raichur, four from Vijayapura, and one each from Tumakuru, Ballari Chikkaballapura and Dharwad districts. Even on Thursday, among the 115 new cases reported on the day, 85 were from Maharashtra.  The same trend was observed earlier in the week as well. On Wednesday out of the total 135 cases, 115 were from Maharashtra. Similarly, while on Monday, 69 out of the 93 cases were from Maharashtra, there were 47 cases reported from Maharashtra out of the 101 reported on Tuesday. Among the districts, Mandya is the most affected with 217 total cases from the district having a travel history from Maharashtra. Yadgir is the second-largest affected district when it comes to cases among inter-state returnees from Maharashtra. Hassan and Udupi are the other major affected districts with 125 and 117 patients, respectively, who have a travel history to Maharashtra while Chikkaballapur has 107 such cases. Other than that, no district has more than 100 cases with a travel history to Maharashtra. 

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