Only patients certified by Kerala govt will be allowed across border: Dakshina Kannada DC

Coronavirus

The instructions come after Karnataka and Kerala came to an agreement over allowing emergency travel from Kasaragod to Mangaluru.

Prajwal Bhat

After the Karnataka government agreed to allow ambulances with non-COVID-19 patients to pass through the border, officials in Dakshina Kannada announced the terms under which passage will be allowed across the interstate border in Talapady in the district. The Kasaragod district administration will intimate district authorities in Dakshina Kannada before sending ambulances with cases of medical emergencies. Only patients who require urgent medical treatment by a specialist in Mangaluru will be allowed across the border. The District Health Officer in Dakshina Kannada will depute a doctor with paramedics at the checkpost to determine whether the conditions agreed to by the state governments are complied with, a note from the Dakshina Kannada district administration stated.  "The patient only needs to be ferried in a government ambulance and only those patients will be allowed to enter Karnataka for treatment. Government doctors from Kerala should certify the condition of the patient and that they require treatment in Mangaluru since they don’t have appropriate facilities. Only one person will be allowed to accompany the patient,” a police official from Ullal working at the Talapady border checkpost told TNM. The main road linking Kasaragod and Mangaluru comes via Talapady, which is the border town 22 km from Mangaluru.  Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police BM Laxmi Prasad confirmed the terms of passage and stated that similar terms will be placed for inter-district travel in the state as well. "lnter-district pass will be given only for medical emergencies and deaths of family members, with supporting documents. The traveller must also obtain a certificate from a qualified medical practitioner declaring he/she is free from COVID-19," said a statement by the Dakshina Kannada SP's office. A meeting was conducted in Mangaluru on Tuesday after the Supreme Court bench closed the petitions related to the Kerala-Karnataka border stating that an agreement had been reached in a meeting called by the Union Home Secretary with the Chief Secretaries of both the states. The meeting in Mangaluru was attended by district officials and politicians in Dakshina Kannada. Despite resistance from some members in the meeting, it was decided that ambulances from Kerala will be allowed across the border in certain conditions. Until further instructions from higher authorities only non-COVID19 patients meeting prerequisites will be allowed to pass the border checkpost. “Earlier during the day (Tuesday), a medical case from Kerala had reached the border, but was turned away since they didn’t have certification letters from government doctors,” the official at the checkpost said. In the last week of March, Dakshina Kannada closed its borders with Kerala while imposing strict lockdown measures in the district. Subsequently, the Kerala government approached Kerala High Court, and sought the central government to intervene to remove the blockade as it amounted to denial of health service  and infringement of Fundamental Rights under Article 21 (Right to Life) Article 19 (1) (d) Right to Free movement. The issue was taken up by the Supreme Court after the Karnataka government refused to allow medical emergency cases to pass through the border. The issue was resolved on Tuesday after a meeting mediated by the central government. People living in the border areas of Kasaragod district in Kerala travel to Mangaluru to avail medical facilities. With inputs from Story Infinity

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COVID-19 surveillance: ASHA workers allegedly attacked in Belagavi, rural Bengaluru

Coronavirus

Earlier, similar incidents were reported from Bengaluru city and Mangaluru.

TNM Staff

Representational image

At least two new incidents of health staff involved in coronavirus containment facing backlash, have come to light as the fight against the spread of the disease continues. Read: Seven arrested for allegedly assaulting, harassing health workers in Bengaluru, Mangaluru In one of the incidents, two ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers were allegedly manhandled at Kudachi in Belagavi district in Karnataka on Tuesday while undertaking a survey following detection of four COVID-19 cases with Tablighi links in the area, police said. The district authorities have intensified door-to-door survey in Kudachi after four people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat religious conference in New Delhi last month tested positive for coronavirus in nearby Raibagh. “Today, when two ASHA workers went to Kudachi, some miscreants snatched away their phones. We are investigating whether they were beaten up also," a police officer investigating the matter told PTI. In another incident, police in rural Bengaluru arrested two people for allegedly abusing a doctor and four ASHA workers. A Deccan Herald (DH) report said the medical staff were conducting health surveillance at Kalalighatta village near Nelamangala. The DH report said Iliyas Khan (45), a labourer; and Sikandar Khan (35), a welder; have been arrested for obstructing government servants from discharging their duties. The arrests were made based on a complaint made by Dr SR Lakshmikanth, a senior health officer of the Government Hospital in Thyamagondlu. A few days ago, four ASHA workers In Bengaluru were allegedly manhandled when they went for a door-to-door survey and police arrested five people from a minority community in connection with the incident. They have been remanded to judicial custody by a court. A woman ASHA worker had then alleged that an announcement was made from the mosque after which the incidents of harassment ensued. Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda had on Monday condemned incidents of attacks on doctors and health department workers and sought protection for them. Even the Congress has demanded protection for these officials.

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COVID-19: Bengaluru cops arrest 3 for attacking volunteers distributing aid

Crime

While activists allege that the police are protecting a local BJP leader, police said the scuffle arose as some volunteers were not wearing masks.

TNM Staff

Three persons have been arrested by the police for an attack on Monday carried out against volunteers of Swaraj Abhiyan who were distributing food to needy people living in low income, migrant settlements in north-east Bengaluru amidst the lockdown. Police said efforts are on to nab other accused who are absconding. The attack took place after on Saturday the same volunteers were harassed on communal lines by members of the same group. Incidents of harassment also took place in nearby areas against other activists of Swaraj Abhiyan. Following this, the activists had also met jurisdictional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Bhimashankar S Guled. Read: COVID-19: Muslims and Muslim volunteers heckled, harassed in Karnataka Bangalore Mirror quoted  Guled as denying that the attack was communal in nature. However, activists speaking with TNM on condition of anonymity, alleged that the police were protecting the interests of the ruling party of the state. The activists had also met with City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao on Tuesday. The DCP said even members of the accused group were involved in the food distribution activity and the scuffle had broken out as one of the Swaraj India volunteers was not wearing a mask. Wearing masks among healthy people is not mandatory according to health care professionals and even the state Health Commissioner Pankaj Pandey has issued a circular to this effect. The trio have been booked under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code— 506, 504, 147, 143, 144, 149. 323 and 324 by Amruthahalli Police. These include charges of intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, criminal intimidation, and voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons. An activist alleged, “Even though the men who are arrested were acting at the behest of a local BJP leader named Venkatesh, the police refused to name him in the FIR (First Information Report).”  According to 23-year-old Syed Tabrez who is the complainant, he and five others including Kiran, Junaid, Riyaz, Feroz and Amjad were attacked by seven people in three motorcycles. They were carrying cricket bats and started beating them up. Following the incident, Syed suffered minor injuries on his right hand and right leg. The others also suffered minor injuries. They have been discharged from hospital.

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‘Not wrong to shoot Jamaat attendees who evade testing’: K’taka BJP MLA sparks row

Coronavirus

This comes after CM Yediyurappa on Monday had warned of action against those blaming the entire Muslim community for isolated incidents.

PTI

PTI

A BJP legislator in Karnataka on Tuesday alleged that some of the attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi have been 'purposely evading' testing for coronavirus despite appeals, and said such it was "not wrong" to shoot such people. Accusing them of indirectly indulging in an act of terrorism, MLA M P Renukacharya, who is also a political secretary to Chief Minister Yediyurappa, however said, it was wrong to blame the whole community for the misdeeds of a few. Tablighi Jamaat congregation held at Nizamuddin in Delhi last month has turned out to be the hotbed of COVID-19 spread in the country. "... one thing is true, some of those who had been to congregation at Nizamuddin, despite appeal made by PM and CM, purposely are trying evade citing religious reasons," he said. Speaking to reporters in Davangere, the BJP MLA said it looks like while dying they want to kill others also. If those who had returned after attending the Jamaat had gone to the doctor, there would’t have been any problem, Renukacharya said. Charging some of the attendees with indulging in "anti- national" deeds, he said it was not wrong to say that those spreading virus are indirectly indulging in terrorism. Further calling those purposely spreading virus on religious grounds as "traitors," he said, "those who attended Tablighi-Jamaat congregation and have not come out for treatment and escaped, government should not protect them.. it is not wrong to shoot them with a bullet." "Because of some people, everyone, whole country will have to suffer... at least now they have to cooperate,” he said. Meanwhile, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa during an interview to a news channel on Monday had warned of action against those blaming the entire Muslim community for isolated incidents. BJP state General Secretary Arvind Limbavali questioning the intentions of attendees of Tablighi-Jamaat congregation, who have not come out for medical consultations, urged the government to take strict action against them. "enough time has been given, those who have not come out arrest them in 24 hours... they are the ones who are cause of spreading… there is no question of any religion in this, this is a matter of health of the society and state," he said. On Tablighi Jamaat congregation attendees, the government said from around 920 people’s samples that have been collected so far, 623 are negative, 27 positive, remaining results are still awaited. The government is yet to share total number of people from the state who had attended the congregation.

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What’s really going on with coronavirus testing right now

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Court backs Texas pandemic abortion ban, citing emergency powers

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Ola, Uber to run 'medical cabs' in Bengaluru for non-COVID-19 emergencies

Coronavirus

These vehicles can be booked by calling dedicated numbers 9154153917, 9154153918 or by logging in to the respective apps.

TNM Staff

Leading app-based cab hailing companies, Ola and Uber, will operate round-the-clock ‘medical emergency services’ for patients who are advised non-ambulatory, prolonged treatment in Bengaluru. In light of the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the cab aggregators have partnered with the Karnataka Health Department. The Department said that the aim of the service, launched on Tuesday, is to ensure that other medical emergency services do not get ignored, given the continued focus on COVID-19.   These vehicles can be booked by calling dedicated numbers—  9154153917, 9154153918 — or by logging in to the apps. The first such service was flagged off by B Sriramulu, Minister for Health, in the presence of other Department officials, said an official release. The Minister said, “With the increasing number of cases related to COVID-19, 108 ambulance services are being utilised entirely to ferry COVID-19 patients to hospitals and quarantine centers. In order for other patients, who have medical emergencies and require medical procedures such as dialysis, chemotherapy, organ transplant, radiation therapy etc., not to be inconvenienced, the state government has tied up with ride-hailing apps, Uber and Ola, to provide 100 cabs each for the benefit of such patients.” He added, “Services provided will include only shifting of patients from home to hospital and hospital to home and not for any other medical emergencies, including suspected and positive cases of COVID-19.” Prior to this service, police vehicles were being used for these emergency purposes.  The Health Department said drivers of these vehicles will be specially trained and well-versed with necessary protocols. The cars will have masks and sanitisers provided by the respective aggregators. All drivers and passengers of these vehicles will be made to wear these masks and it will be compulsory for the air-conditioning in each of these vehicles to be switched off.  Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Commissioner, Department of Health and Family Welfare, said, “The service providers will provide details of drivers and vehicles to the Deputy Director (Emergency Management and Research Institute) and will also submit a daily report on the number of cases shifted on a daily basis. These vehicles will have signage on the front and rear which will read ‘Department of Health and Family Welfare Services, Medical Emergency Service Vehicle (Non COVID-19) in red letters.” Ola in a statement said, “To book an ‘Ola emergency’ cab, citizens can select the category ‘Enabled for Hospitals’ on their Ola app, and enter the drop location from a list of available hospitals in the city. Ola has enabled over 200 hospitals on its app to provide the service and ensure cabs are used only for essential medical travel. The service will be available across Bengaluru and is slated to soon launch in other major cities.”

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