Coronavirus: BBMP’s advisory to owners and residents of PG accommodations, hostels

Coronavirus

The government advised those residing in hostels and paying guest accommodations to return home if possible and warned owners against overcrowding.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Representative image. Courtesy Wikicommons

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has issued an advisory for those staying in Bengaluru in paying guest (PG) or similar accommodations. The advisory recommends hostel residents to go back home wherever possible, and warns owners against overcrowding to maintain maximum levels of social distancing. > Students residing in PG houses or hostels may be advised to return home, in case their educational institutions have declared holidays in view of COVID-19. > In case an occupant opts to stay back in the hostel or PG, they should be made aware of personal hygiene measures as per the advice of the Karnataka government. All the guidelines and advisories are available in both Kannada and English on the Karnataka State Health and Family Welfare department website. > Sanitation and cleaning of PGs and hostels periodically is the mandatory responsibility of the owners and managers of such properties. The warden or caretaker of such properties must strictly maintain cleanliness in PG houses and hostels. > Overcrowding of the hostel or PG rooms is strictly prohibited as this not only causes inconvenience to the occupants, but also enables the spread of infection. A living space (excluding kitchen, toilet / bathroom) of 110 sq. ft. shall not accommodate more than two occupants. This is as per public health standards, the BBMP said. > Owners and managers of PGs and hostels do not have the right to forcibly evict any occupant citing the above reason, without giving the occupant suitable time to look for alternate accommodations, the advisory stated. > Action shall be taken against owners and managers of PG houses and hostels in case of spread of COVID-19 due to non-compliance of the above directions related to sanitation and hygiene in the premises. The advisory further reiterates that people should stay home and be safe, to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

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ASHA workers in Karnataka lend a helping hand in the fight against coronavirus

Coronavirus

However, the ASHA workers are waiting for the safety equipment that has been promised to them.

Prajwal Bhat

Asha workers in Channapatna |

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) in Karnataka, who, until two months ago, were on a strike demanding the payment of their fixed monthly wages, are now going door-to-door to collect information about people who have returned from countries affected by the coronavirus. This is despite the fact that the community health workers are yet to get safety gear like masks and gloves. "We are collecting information about people who have returned from a foreign country. We are asking details like where they have come from, their travel route and if they are showing any symptoms," says Nagalakshmi D, Secretary of Karnataka State Samyukta ASHA Workers' Association. However, the ASHA workers are waiting for the safety equipment that has been promised to them.Nagalakshmi says that workers in Bengaluru were promised safety equipment like masks and gloves, but are yet to receive them. Meanwhile, equipment has not been promised to ASHA workers in other parts of the state, D Nagalakshmi, Secretary of the ASHA Workers Association, alleges.  ASHA workers, who are community health volunteers trained to be the interface between the community and the public healthcare system in India, have since last week been conducting surveys to gather information about those who are likely to be affected by COVID-19 in the state. The workers are  educating people and busting myths around COVID-19. Koushalya, an ASHA worker in Koppal district, says there are challenges from people who are paranoid about coronavirus. "There was an incident in Hosahalli last week where we met a resident who had come back from Hajj in Saudi Arabia. The people living nearby were not allowing this person to come out over fears he carried the infection.” ASHA workers then clarified misconceptions the people about the disease, she adds. The Karnataka government had earlier cancelled the leaves of medical superintendents, doctors, and contract workers at all hospitals under the Department of Health and Family Welfare in the state. ASHA workers too have been working without leaves, and putting in extra hours as well.  "We are working without holidays. In addition to the surveys, we are also spreading awareness about coronavirus and asking people to maintain hygiene and wash their hands," says Nagalakshmi, an ASHA worker in Bengaluru (separate from the Association secretary). "Each survey takes 15 minutes and we are trying to conduct as many surveys as possible. We have increased our working hours to 4-5 hours (from 2-3 hours)." The additional work due to the coronavirus pandemic also comes at a time when Bengaluru is seeing a spike cholera cases. A total of 80 gastroenteritis cases were reported in the city in the first two weeks of March, along with 17 cases of cholera.  "We have been asked to report any cases of water stagnation and ensure that health officials are asked to clear them. We are also spreading awareness about cholera among residents in Bengaluru," says Nagalakshmi.  On a day-to-day basis, ASHA workers are also tasked with keeping track of government health targets including immunisation, institutional births, family planning and nutrition. In January, thousands of ASHA workers in Karnataka protested against non-payment of due wages by the government. The strike was called off after the state government announced that it will pay 15 months’ worth of wages to workers.  In Karnataka, ASHA workers are due a fixed sum of Rs 6,000 per month. This includes Rs 4,000 from the state government's funds and Rs 2,000 from the National Health Mission funds. ASHA workers are also paid additional incentives between Rs 3,500 and Rs 5,000 per month. 

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Bengaluru metro services at MG Road to be partially shut down on Tuesday night

Transport

While there will be maintenance work on the Purple Line, normal service hours will continue on the Green Line of the metro.

TNM Staff

File image

Metro rail services in Bengaluru will partially shut down on Tuesday night on the Purple Line for civil maintenance work. This outage will only impact trains moving from MG Road and Baiyappanahalli metro stations. The services will be restored as per normal from Wednesday morning onwards, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) said.  The last train on Tuesday will be at 10 pm from Baiyappanahalli towards the Mysore Road side. The last train from Mysore Road to Baiyappanahalli will leave at 9.30 pm. Schedules on the rest of the stretch of the Purple Line between Mysore Road and MG Road will remain as per normal, with the last trains leaving at around 11.30 pm. READ: Tennis court, movie theatre: Places visited in Bengaluru by 8th COVID-19 patient Normal service hours will continue on the Green Line of the metro. The BMRCL stated, “BMRCL is taking up Civil Maintenance works on 17th March, 2020 between Indiranagar and Swami Vivekananda Road Metro Stations of the Purple Line. Metro Train services between M G Road and Baiyappanahalli Metro Stations will remain suspended from 10:15 PM onwards on 17.03.2020.” “Accordingly, the last through train will be leaving Baiyappanahalli at 10.00 PM and the last through train from Mysore Road will be at 9:30 PM. However, Metro Trains will run between MG Road and Mysore Road Metro Stations. The last train will leave from MG Road from 23:45 Hrs towards Mysore Road and the last Train from Mysore Road to MG Road will be at 23:40 Hrs on 17.03.2020,” the note added. This maintenance work induced outage comes after a similar disruption of the service was announced last month. On February 16, train services between Yelachenahalli and RV Road metro stations were suspended for the whole day due to work taken up on drawing power cables for the Green Line extension. 

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Tennis court, movie theatre: Places visited in Bengaluru by 8th COVID-19 patient

Coronavirus

The 32-year-old Bengaluru man was a co-passenger on the flight taken by the Mindtree techie who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 10.

Prajwal Bhat

Sanyukta Dharmadhikari

The Karnataka government has released information about the movement history of the 32-year-old Bengaluru man who tested positive for COVID-19. He was a co-passenger on the flight taken by the Mindtree techie who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 10. The man developed a mild cold on March 11 following which he was asked to be quarantined at home. On March 14, after a delay of over two days, he was isolated at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD) in the city. The patient is now admitted to a designated hospital and is receiving treatment. Movement history On March 6, the patient travelled from San Antonio to Dallas by American Airways. On March 7, he went from Dallas to Heathrow Airport in London via American Airways. From Heathrow, he took a British Airways flight landing in Bengaluru on March 8 at 4.20 am. On March 9, he visited a tennis court and played with a ‘random person’. He repeated this exercise over the next two days, on March 10 and 11 as well. The details about the tennis court are not clear, we will update once we have more information. On March 10, at 10 pm, he travelled in his own vehicle and met two of his friends. He then watched a movie at Sandhya Theatre in Madiwala with his wife. On March 11, after he developed a mild cold, he was advised to place himself under quarantine by the surveillance team that was carrying out contact tracing. The surveillance team advised the man to visit RGICD on two days – March 12 as well as March 13 – but he did not comply and continued to remain at home. On March 14, finally, he went to RGICD along with his wife at 2.30 pm in his own vehicle. On March 15, he was shifted to a designated hospital in an ambulance at 9.30 pm for admission and treatment. Karnataka currently has 10 cases of COVID-19 – seven patients in Bengaluru, two in Kalaburagi, and one person who died in Kalaburagi. Also read: Coronavirus cases in Karnataka climb to 10, 20-year-old woman among new patients

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Coronavirus: What resident associations in Bengaluru have been asked to do

Coronavirus

The advisory to RWAs says that they must communicate a set of instructions to each member of the association.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Courtesy: Pixcy

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has issued a slew of advisories for Bengalureans, even as the city has been put under partial shutdown for a week due to fears of the spread of coronavirus. The advisories from the civic body pertain to usage of green spaces and instructions for Resident Welfare Associations (RWA). Issuing the advisories BBMP Commissioner Anil Kumar said, “BBMP understands that the closing of all gyms, sporting and other facilities has caused a lot of inconvenience. However, as a responsible citizen of Bengaluru, you must appreciate that this closure is due to the outbreak of COVID-19 with an aim to prevent the spread of the infection in the community.” RWAs The BBMP advisory to RWAs says that they must communicate the following to each member of the association. > All mass gatherings in the premises should be stopped. > Common areas, railings, other surfaces, etc. likely to be touched by residents must be cleaned using sodium hypochlorite, bleaching powder or any effective disinfectant for maintaining the highest level of sanitation and hygiene. > Care and attention needs to be given to housekeeping staff, ensuring that they are provided with necessary soap /sanitiser/liquid soap dispenser for periodic hand washing. > Common areas like walkways and parks used for walking or jogging can be used subject to the strict maintenance of social distancing (1 metre). These places should not get converted into socialising points, which will defeat the purpose of the preventive measures put in place. > Gymnasiums, sports facilities, swimming pools, recreational and club facilities are to be closed. > No summer camp or outdoor activities are to be allowed within the premises. > Lifts are closed spaces and potential source of infection to others, so special instructions have been given to keep them hygienic: RWA should sanitise the lift surfaces periodically; lift operating buttons to be sanitise through regular cleaning. People using the lift must wash hands using soap water or hand sanitiser after every usage necessarily. People must not touch eyes, nose and face after touching these surfaces without washing hands. Parks and green spaces Reiterating that people should maintain social distancing of a minimum of 1 metre between each other in parks and other open spaces, the BBMP issued the following advisory. > Open gym equipment inside parks must strictly not be used. The metallic surfaces are a potential source of infection, if it gets in contact with any infected person. > Refrain from any gatherings in parks and green spaces for socialising. > Advising people to exercise at home instead of venturing out to gyms or other places, the BBMP advisory said one should use modules for fitness and yoga workouts, which are available online through smartphones and television.

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Karnataka Minister Eshwarappa, wife escape unhurt after fire at his official residence

Accident

Officials told TNM said that the short-circuit occurred when the air conditioner was switched on in the house.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa escaped a major fire at his official government residence in Kumara Park South in Bengaluru. Officials from the Fire and Emergency Services Department attributed the fire that started in Eshwarappa's bedroom to a short-circuit. "By the time we reached, the fire had destroyed furniture, wardrobe and other items in the bedroom but it did not spread to other parts of the house. Eshwarappa was safely evacuated from the area. The cause of the fire appears to be a short-circuit in the AC," a fire department official told TNM. The official told TNM that the incident took place when the air conditioner was switched on in the house on Monday night around 10 pm. The wardrobe and furniture in parts of the bungalow were damaged in the fire while one room was completely destroyed. The fire started in the bedroom of the bungalow when Eshwarappa switched on the AC. He, and his wife, ran out of the house immediately when the fire began. Eshwarappa informed his son-in-law Santhosh about the fire who called the fire and emergency services. One fire engine from the High Grounds fire station reached the bungalow at 10:40 pm. Fire department officials safely evacuated Eshwarappa and his wife before dousing the fire. However, by the time the fire officials reached the house, the bedroom was gutted along with the mattress, AC, wardrobe and sofa. Eshwarappa and his wife escaped the fire unhurt and are currently recuperating from the incident. Eshwarappa is a senior BJP leader and the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister in the current Karnataka cabinet. 

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Karnataka doctor who treated India's first COVID-19 victim tests positive for coronavirus

Coronavirus

Health officials in Karnataka confirmed two more coronavirus positive cases, taking the number of cases in the state to 10.

TNM Staff

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Officials from the health department in Karnataka have stated that a 60-year-old doctor from Kalaburagi has now tested positive for coronavirus. Further, the doctor had been in contact with the 76-year-old man who had died due to the disease in the district, the officials said. The 60-year-old-man who was confirmed to be positive is a doctor who had been around the 76-year-old man who succumbed to COVID19, who was the first person to have died from the disease in the country. “The doctor had been in contact with the deceased man during the course of the latter’s treatment in the hospital in Kalaburagi. Another person who had been found to be positive for the virus is an Indian student from the United Kingdom who was visiting her family in Karnataka. “She had been under home isolation when she began showing symptoms. Her uncle is a doctor who works in the government sector, who is the one who took her for testing after she developed symptoms, which is how they were able to confirm quickly that she had also contracted the virus,” stated Dr Sudhakar, Minister of Medical Education. This takes the total number of people in the state with confirmed infection to 10. The elderly man from Kalaburagi who had died had succumbed because he had several underlying medical conditions which complicated his recovery, as per officials. The second death reported in the country was a 68-year-old elderly woman from Delhi. On Tuesday, a third death was confirmed from Maharashtra – a 64-year-old man from Mumbai. Karnataka is currently under a week-long lockdown ordered by the government. Pubs, malls and theaters across the state have been asked to be closed and an advisory has been issued to Information Technology (IT) companies in Bengaluru to allow employees to work from home. Officials have stated that new measures will be implemented soon to help curb the spread of the disease, as the number of cases in the state reaches 10.

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