Karnataka govt mulls stern rules to ensure physical distancing as COVID-19 cases rise

COVID-19

Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said political and religious meetings held post-lockdown led to a surge in cases.

PTI

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Warning of stern action against people flouting physical distancing rules in public places, Karnataka Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar on Tuesday said regulations on COVID-19 for the public will be out soon after discussions with the Chief Minister. "Coronavirus has been on a high in the past two months in the state. Despite raising awareness of the dangers caused by the virus, the general public has been negligent by not wearing masks," Sudhakar was quoted as saying by his office, in a release. To combat this, the state government is keen on bringing in stern rules against those flouting physical distancing norms in public. A detailed directive will be out in a few days, he said. The Minister on Wednesday held a meeting with an expert committee regarding COVID-19. Stating that political and religious gatherings have been on a high following the easing of lockdown restrictions, Sudhakar said this has led to rapid spread of the virus. Hence, it has been decided to stop such large gatherings. Events that have to be held in unavoidable circumstances with a maximum of only 100 people would be allowed with prior permission from the district administrations, he said. However a final decision will be taken after consulting administrations in districts that have a large number of infections. The Minister said the government planned to organise awareness programmes jointly with cinema stars, religious heads, political leaders and artists. Hailing the 'notable role' of the media in raising awareness about coronavirus, he said the government was mulling over organising a special workshop for mediapersons. The workshop will be organised within a week, he said. The COVID-19 positive rate in seven of 11 districts is 12 %, he said, adding that the death rate was 1.5 %. Steps are being taken to reduce this to less than 1 %, he said.

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