Bengaluru records 3 COVID-19 cases in one day

Coronavirus

While two patients arrived from the US, another had a travel history from Spain.

Theja Ram

Image for representation/PTI

Another person tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the pandemic, in Bengaluru. This takes Karnataka’s total number of cases to 14, while Bengaluru has recorded its 11th COVID-19 case.  The 35-year-old man arrived in Bengaluru from the US on March 10. According to health officials, he was quarantined at home. However, when he showed symptoms on March 16, he was admitted in hospital the same day and placed in isolation. “We are tracing his contacts,” said Minister of Medical Education Sudhakar.  Besides him, two other persons tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday. One patient is a 25-year-old man, a resident of Bengaluru, who returned from Madrid in Spain on March 13. He has been admitted to a designated isolation hospital while seven of his primary contacts have been traced and are under strict home quarantine, reads a bulletin from the health department.  Another patient is a 56-year-old woman, who returned from US to Bengaluru on March 6. Her test samples also returned positive on Monday and she has been admitted to an isolation ward in hospital. The health department said 50 primary contacts have been identified and are under strict home quarantine.  The Karnataka government said 1068 persons have been tested in the state so far, with 150 COVID-19 tests being done on Wednesday alone.  So far, those tested positive in Bengaluru include the techie from Dell, his wife and daughter, two other techies from MindTree and Google respectively, a co-passenger of the MindTree techie in the British Airways flight from London to Bengaluru, a 67-year-old woman who returned from Dubai, a 20-year-old student who returned from the United Kingdom, a 56-year-old man who returned from Dubai and a 25-year-old woman. A 76-year-old man from Kalaburagi died on March 10 and was later tested positive for coronavirus on March 12. His daughter and a doctor who treated him were subsequently tested positive.  The state government on Wednesday also extended the partial lock down of the state to March 31. Last week, the Chief Minister had announced that theatres, malls, gyms, night clubs, and political gatherings would be barred in view of the coronavirus outbreak.  The government will also quarantine all international passengers coming into Karnataka at hospitals, hotels and resorts. Minister Sudhakar said that these passengers would be taken to quarantine facilities close to the airport and lodged there for 15 days.  Read: Karnataka extends shutdown to March 31: Malls, theatres, colleges to remain shut Also read: Supermarkets, vegetable markets will remain open in Chennai: Commissioner confirms

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Bengaluru Metro says All Saints church will not be impacted by construction, church members refute

Metro

BMRCL's response came to a TNM article on the protest at the church that has been going on for 300 days.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

The BMRCL (Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited) has responded to accusations made by the members of the All Saints Church, and said that the metro alignment in Hosur road is 36m away from All Saints Church building and does not pass below the church building. According to the Metro, only an open area of 1140 sqm with few trees in front of the church building is required for construction of the underground metro station. BMRCL's response came to a TNM article on the protest at the church that has been going on for 300 days. Though BMRCL intended to answer all the anxieties of the church members through the press statement, members say that they are hardly convinced. Church members said that the Metro had illegally changed the original detailed project report (DPR) which outlines the plan of the metro. In the DPR, they changed the alignment of Vellara junction stop of the Metro phase 2, and this led to a large portion of the church property and its premises getting affected. "Width of church premises along Hosur road is around 90m whereas width of land required for metro construction is only 38m, thereby leaving sufficient width along the Hosur road. Thus main approach to the church from Hosur road remains intact even during metro construction", the BMRCL statement further says. The metro authorities also tried to reassure the Church members that the 150-year-old building structure is under no threat. “There will not be any damage to church structure by metro construction activities. All the necessary precautions to protect the church building will be taken by BMRCL. We have successfully carried out such similar construction works for underground stations in phase-1. One of such works was that of Cubbon park underground station constructed at a distance of just 3m from more than 100 years old CTO (BSNL’s Chief Telecom Office) building, without causing any damage.” However, the church members say that they still fear that the heritage building will be threatened by the metro activities, including drilling. In a statement, the church members said, "The construction activity will necessitate excavation upto a depth of 80 feet. In the process, if it encounters hard rock, it will have to be blasted, thereby endangering the church. The BMRCL has not taken up any tests to ascertain the structural strength of the church by entrusting reputed engineers such as from Archaeological Survey of India." Ebenezer Premkumar, one of the members, told TNM, “The CTO building that BMRCL refers to is a granite structure, and cannot be compared to the heritage church building. The church is a limestone and masonry building, and would be adversely affected by the Metro construction activities,” he said. He further said that the church,“is the only one of its kind built in the Indo-Saracenic oeuvre in the year 1870 , it’s foundation is made of lime and mortar and in all probability will collapse because of the construction activity nearby.” The BMRCL in its statement also says that this was not the only religious place which is affected by the metro work. “Religious places are acquired for metro project, only when such acquisition is inevitable. For phase-2 works itself, 33 religious places have been acquired, which includes thirty temples, two churches and one mosque.” However, members of All Saints church said that according to the original DPR, the plan did not even touch the church, but instead was planned for the other side of the road. “The (original metro DPR) plan was supposed to affect the Shia Mosque located next to the Johnson Market, but that changed to affect All Saints Church instead. We believe that the plan was changed due to the use of political influence, so as to not affect the mosque, but crossed the road and to build it here instead,” Ebenezer said. However, the despite the claim, Metro declined to provide any documentation on the specifics of the above religious places which are set to be affected by Metro construction. The press release from the Metro further stated that “Open area required for metro construction is small comparing to total area of the church premises. Area required is only vacant land that too on a temporary basis for a period of around 3 years. Number of trees to be cleared for Metro construction in area required on temporary basis is only 26. Even some of the trees can be transplanted within the church premises itself.”

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Karnataka to quarantine all international passengers at hospitals, hotels, resorts

Coronavirus

The decision was communicated on the floor of the Karnataka Assembly by Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar on Wednesday.

Prajwal Bhat

The Karnataka government has announced that all passengers arriving in the state from abroad will be quarantined for 15 days. The decision was communicated on the floor of the Karnataka Assembly by Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar on Wednesday.  "All international passengers who come to Bengaluru and Karnataka should be separated for 15 days...To separate them,  government medical colleges or hospitals near airports, private college or hospitals near airport, or budget hotels or resorts near airports will be used," K Sudhakar stated.  Officials in the Health and Family Welfare Department told TNM that isolation of all international passengers "will begin at the earliest" and that the department is preparing for the logistics of it. Sudhakar further added that all international passengers arriving in the state will be stamped.  "Over 20 lakh people are working in the Information Technology (IT) sector in Bengaluru and a number of people are coming in from other countries. There can be no question of compromising on quarantine measures," Sudhakar added. The decision marks a significant shift in Karnataka's handling of its international arrivals. Until now, passengers arriving from a list of seven countries (China, South Korea, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Iran) were screened at the airport. If they were found to be symptomatic- fever, cough, breathing difficult- they were shifted to an isolation facility designated by the government for 15 days. If they were asymptomatic, they were divided into high risk and low risk categories. High risk category included people over the age of 60 and those who had comorbid ailments, and they were kept in quarantine in a public facility. People in the low risk category were advised home quarantine for 15 days.   Officials at the Bengaluru International Airport told TNM that arrivals of international passengers had reduced to 5000-6000 per day as of March 15. This is expected to reduce further following the decision to announce a mandatory quarantine period in hospitals for all international passengers arriving in the state.  Starting today, the Indian government has barred the entry of all passengers coming from European Union, European Free Trade Association Turkey, United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Philippines and Malaysia.

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Coronavirus: Karnataka dentists urged to not see patients

coronavirus

The Karnataka state government had earlier asked for non-emergency medical services to be shut.

Soumya Chatterjee

BY U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY MICHAEL S. KELLY VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / IMAGE FOR REPRESENTATION

The Karnataka State Dental Council has asked all dental surgeons in the state to abstain from providing services in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, following an advisory by the state government asking all non-critical medical services to be shut down. Dr Rajkumar S Alle, the President of the Karnataka State Dental Council has said, “As responsible healthcare professionals, it is our duty to support the government’s efforts in restraining the spread of the virus.” He suggested, “Kindly display an emergency contact number for your patients to call you in the event of dental pain or an absolute emergency.” Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar had said on Tuesday evening that the government has decided to shut down dental clinics and other non-critical medical services. In addition to the advisory on dentistry, the minister had said that people have been further advised not to crowd into speciality hospitals like Kidwai and Jayadeva unless there is an immediate need. The novel coronavirus majorly spreads through respiratory droplets and can enter a person’s system through their eyes, nose or mouth. This is why health organisations have been calling for people thoroughly washing their hands with soap and water and avoiding touching their face. The partial lockdown in Karnataka is an attempt to contain the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and may continue for a second week, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa hinted on Wednesday ahead of a cabinet meeting. Malls, cinemas, schools, colleges, night clubs, bars are shut across the state since March 14 as per orders of the Chief Minister to reduce crowding and possible transmission of the disease. As part of the same order, gyms, swimming pools, summer camps have also been ordered to be closed as part of the week-long shutdown. The CM had said the decision to extend the order will be taken at the end of this week. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has also issued advisories to apartment associations and resident welfare associations to ensure steps are taken to prevent spread of the novel coronavirus. People have also been asked to avoid parks and gardens. Those living in paying guest accommodations have been asked to leave for their hometowns, and the establishments’ owners have been warned against overcrowding. At present only PU-II (pre-university) and SSLC (Secondary School Leaving Certificate) examinations are going on. State Education Minister S Suresh Kumar had deferred the examinations for students between classes 7 and 9 standards till March 31 in wake of the pandemic. As of Wednesday afternoon, Karnataka has 13 people who have tested positive for COVID-19, including one 76-year-old from Kalaburagi who died of comorbidities. He was incidentally the first coronavirus fatality in the country. Out of the other positive cases, two are from Kalaburagi— the deceased’s daughter and his doctor. The others are a techie working in Dell, his wife and daughter. A techie working in Mindtree, another in Google also tested positive. Three of the affected are a co-passenger of the Mindtree techie who took the same flight as him; a student returning from the United Kingdom, and a woman who returned from Dubai. On Wednesday morning, the state Health MInister Sriramulu announced two more positive cases. Among them, one had returned from the United States, and the other woman had gone on vacation in Spain.

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Karnataka extends shutdown to March 31: Malls, theatres, pubs to remain shut

Coronavirus

The Chief Minister told the assembly that the state has recorded 14 positive cases till now.

Soumya Chatterjee

The Karnataka government has extended the partial lockdown until March 31 across the state as a preventive measure to contain the coronavirus (COVID-19). Malls, cinemas, schools, colleges, night clubs, bars have been shut across the state since Saturday (March 14) as ordered by the Chief Minister, in a bid to reduce crowding as the country witnessed a steady rise in COVID-19 cases. This shutdown will now be extended to March 31. The Chief Minister told the assembly that the state has recorded 14 positive cases till now. The details of the 14th patient has not been released yet. The announcement was made by Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said. Further funds of Rs 200 crore have been released to mitigate the spread of the disease.  The CM also announced that a task force composed of Health Minister B Sriramulu, Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Chief Secretary Vijay Bhaskar has been formed to tackle the virus. All forms of mass gatherings have been restricted with weddings not permitted to have more than 150 guests. Further no political meetings or rallies will be allowed till further orders. As part of the same order, gyms, swimming pools, have beens shut while summer camps and sporting events were also ordered to be deferred as part of the shutdown.  Information and Bio-Technology (IT/BT) offices have been advised to implement work from home policies. Meanwhile, the government has asked restaurants to turn off air conditioners as a precautionary measure. Restaurants have also been asked to ensure that chairs are placed with one metre of gap to enforce social distancing. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has also issued advisories to apartment associations/ resident welfare associations to ensure steps are taken to ensure that the virus is not spread. People have also been asked to avoid parks and gardens. Those living in paying guest accommodation have been asked to leave for their hometowns and have warned owners of such establishments not to overcrowd. At present only PU (pre-university)-II and SSLC (Secondary School Leaving Certificate) examinations are going on. Teachers are continuing to work at educational institutions to carry out administrative work. The government has not made any announcement regarding teachers working from home. Incidentally, the Education MInister S Suresh Kumar had also deferred the examinations for students between 7th and 9th standards till March 31 in the wake of the pandemic. As of date, the number of positive cases stand at 14, including one 76-year-old from Kalaburagi who died of comorbidities. He was incidentally the first coronavirus victim in the country. Out of the other positive cases, two are from Kalaburagi— the deceased’s daughter, and his doctor. The others are a techie working in Dell, his wife and daughter. The others are a techie working in Mindtree, and another in Google. Three others are a co-passenger of the Mindtree techie, a student returning from the United Kingdom and another woman returning from Dubai. On Wednesday morning, two more positive cases were confirmed by the state Health Minister B Sriramulu. Among them, one had returned from the United States, and the other woman had gone on vacation in Spain. The Karnataka government had earlier ordered a partial shutdown until March 21, noting at the time that a decision would be taken on lifting the lock down based on the situation.    

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Two more cases of coronavirus in Bengaluru, total cases in Karnataka now 13

Coronavirus

“We are in the process of tracing all the contacts of these two people,” Sriramulu said in a tweet.

Theja Ram

Representation Photo

Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Wednesday said that two more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Bengaluru, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka to 13 and 10 in Bengaluru alone. A 56-year-old man from the city, who had returned from the USA on March 6, tested positive. A 25-year-old woman, who had returned from a vacation to Spain was also tested positive. Minister Sriramulu said that the two persons have been quarantined at a hospital in Bengaluru.  “We are in the process of tracing all the contacts of these two people,” Sriramulu said in a tweet.  2 more #Covid19 case has been registered in Bangalore today, taking the total infected cases to 13. 56yr old male, resident of Bangalore returned from USA on 6th March. Another, 25 yr old female, who has returned from Spain. Both are admitted in designated isolated hospital — B Sriramulu (@sriramulubjp) March 18, 2020 Earlier on Wednesday, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa held an emergency Cabinet meeting to take stock of the situation in the state.  Till Tuesday evening, the number of positive cases stood at 11, including one 76-year-old from Kalaburagi who died of comorbidities. He was the first COVID-19 victim in India. Out of the other positive cases, two are from Kalaburagi— the deceased man’s daughter and a 60-year-old doctor, who treated the COVID-19 victim. The doctor was unaware that the man had COVID-19. The others are a techie working in Dell, his wife and daughter; a techie from MindTree and another one from Google. A co-passenger of the Mindtree techie on the British Airways flight, a 20-year-old student returning from the United Kingdom and another woman who came back to Bengaluru from Dubai have also tested positive. The Karnataka government has released flowcharts tracking movements of almost all patients.  Also read: Tennis court, movie theatre: Places visited in Bengaluru by 8th COVID-19 patient As of Tuesday, there were 58 persons in isolation wards, while 2,146 people were in home quarantine. The state has tested a total of 943 samples of which 766 have turned negative. Kalaburagi town that has already recorded three cases of COVID-19, which includes the 76-year-old who died, has been on full lockdown since yesterday. All non-essential activities have been stopped by the City Corporation.   

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Religious ceremonies in Dakshina Kannada indefinitely suspended due to coronavirus

Coronavirus

The district administration has also barred fairs, processions, mass-weddings and any other social-cultural programmes that will encourage public gathering.

Harsha Raj Gatty

The Dakshina Kannada district administration has ordered places of worship such as temples, churches and mosques to indefinitely suspend all cultural and religious ceremonies. This is being done as a preventive measure to contain the spread of coronavirus, and came into effect from Tuesday.  The district administration has also barred the conduct of fairs, processions, mass-weddings and any other social-cultural programs that will encourage public gathering. Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sindhu P Rupesh told the media on Tuesday that group entry to places of worship is prohibited. “Except for authorities in places of worship, groups cannot enter the premise in the interest of public safety. Individual visitors will not be able to avail prayer requests or special services (seva) from the religious authorities. Even boarding and lodging services have been stopped at the religious sites,” she said. The order by the district administration also bars any form of summer camps, conventions, conferences and mass-weddings at religious premises. “In case of private weddings, the parties have been advised to keep it simple and have a limited crowd,” she said. Despite being a period where they attract thousands of people, the Shree Kshetra Dharmasthala and Kukke Subramanya earlier advised people to refrain from visiting temples. On Monday, even the Polali Goddess Rajarajeshwari temple said that it would stop offering holy water to devotees as a precautionary measure. In the backdrop of Lent season that began on February 26, Udupi Bishop Gerald Isaac Lobo had advised the parish priest to create awareness among parishioners about COVID-19. He also urged people, especially those coming from abroad, to avoid travel. “Even at churches in Mangaluru, we have been told not to touch the holy water,” Jacintha, a parishioner from Bejai church in Mangaluru city said. “In most places, they have emptied it. Even the bread offered during the communion (a Christian rite) is given in our hands and not in the mouth. We are also told to fold our hands in namaste, instead of giving a handshake or a hug as a greeting.”  Kabir, a resident of Ullal in Mangaluru, said that despite enhancing hygiene and keeping a vigil on visitors for close to a fortnight, mosques have asked followers to offer namaz in their houses. “This is to set aside unnecessary concerns and in the well-being of the people, especially as there is a huge gathering for Friday prayers,” he said. Deputy Commissioner Sindhu also said on Tuesday that over 35,000 passengers have been screened at the Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) and the seaport. “Dakshina Kannada has about 177 quarantine wards and 226 isolation wards, where 115 patients are being monitored and 36 have been tested negative,” she said.

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