Five things to watch on the road from lockdown to recovery.
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Monday, May 25, 2020
‘Can’t equate me with others’: Union Min refuses to undergo institutional quarantine
Sadananda Gowda, who arrived in Bengaluru from Delhi, has said that these rules apply to citizens but not to him, as he has important responsibilities.
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Union Minister Sadananda Gowda landed in Bengaluru on Monday and has refused to quarantine himself, as is the norm for any individual arriving by flight into Karnataka. The Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers was seen exiting Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on Monday morning and then sitting in his private vehicle and driving away. Karnataka has made a seven-day institutional quarantine mandatory for all passengers travelling via domestic flights from Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. This was announced in a new set of guidelines issued by the state on Saturday, May 23. The guidelines state that from the fifth to seventh day of the institutional quarantine, swab samples of the individuals will be taken, and if the test results are negative, then only can they return home, where they must remain in home quarantine for the next seven days. However, the minister, who arrived from New Delhi, has not quarantined himself. He has justified it, saying that these rules apply to citizens but not to him, as he has important responsibilities like ensuring the supply of medicines and pharma products. “Practically, the guidelines are applicable to each and every citizen, I do concede. But are certain persons exempted from quarantining, those who hold certain responsible posts,” the minister told ANI. “So, I am a minister, I am heading the pharma ministry and I should see that in each and every corner of the country there should be sufficient supply of medicines. If the supply of medicine is not properly done, what can doctors do for the patients? If the supply of medicines is not done properly by the government, is it not a failure of the government?” he asked. Union Minister Sadananda Gowda arrives from Delhi to Bengaluru. He refuses to be quarantined. As per the new GO, all those returning from high risk states (Delhi included) have to undergo 7-day institutional quaratine. Ministers are not on the list of those who can be exempted. pic.twitter.com/4bAwWiSP0U — Theja Ram (@thejaram92) May 25, 2020 He added that even doctors and nurses have to come to work, and asked who would fight coronavirus if they decided to quarantine themselves and are not allowed to work. In the video shared by ANI, the minister then also whipped out his phone and then proceeded to show the Aarogya Setu app to the reporter. “See, I have the Aarogya Setu app. In the app, see, it is green, you are safe. Apart from this, I used to attend office in Delhi and once every 3-4 days, the doctors in AIIMS checked me also. If I don’t supply medicines, what will happen? Coronavirus will double, triple. I have a meeting with other ministers at 4 pm to check the supply of medicines. If I am quarantined, then who will ensure all this? They cannot equate me with other persons,” the minister added. He also alleged that there are certain exemptions granted to individuals. Guidelines are applicable to all citizens, but there are certain exemption clauses, for those who hold certain responsible posts: S Gowda, Union Minister on allegations by opposition parties that he didn't go to required institutional quarantine after domestic air travel pic.twitter.com/lVVrS1FABc — ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2020 “I could have come from Delhi by some other chartered flight. But being a minister, I chose to travel only when the flights started, and when I am exempted under the clause by the state and the Centre,” he says in the video. The Karnataka government’s guidelines exempt those below the age of 10 years, pregnant women, senior citizens who are aged 80 years and above, and the terminally ill flyers and travellers from mandatory institutional quarantine. One attendant, who is with any of these categories of persons mentioned above, will also be exempt from mandatory institutional quarantine, the guidelines state. Health care professionals and those in the armed forces are also exempt from mandatory institutional quarantine. However, no mention of ministers is made in the exemptions for institutional quarantine. BJP spokesperson Prakash told TNM that the minister does not need to be under institutional quarantine since he is under home quarantine. However, the minister noted that he was set to hold a meeting at 4 pm, which would be in violation of home quarantine rules. "If he is cleared by ICMR test 48 hours before arrival, he does not have to be in institutional quarantine. However, it is not clear whether he underwent the test,” BJP spokesperson Prakash said. Karnataka has been witnessing a high number of cases in the past one week, with most of them being those who have travelled from places like Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, which have reported high numbers of COVID-19 cases.
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Man in Karnataka COVID-19 quarantine facility ends life
The patient had recently returned from Maharashtra and was kept in a government-run quarantine facility in the district following normal protocol.
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In a second incident of a suspected case of suicide in quarantine facilities for COVID-19 in Karnataka within a week, a 53-year-old man in Chikkamagalruru died allegedly by suicide on Sunday. Dr Umesh, District Health Officer, Chikkamagaluru confirmed the development to TNM. “The patient was quarantined following protocols. His test had returned negative for COVID-19 but he was suffering from other medical conditions including haemorrhoids,” he said. He added the patient had recently returned from Maharashtra and was kept in a government-run quarantine facility in the district following normal protocol. He was found dead at the facility on Sunday. Incidentally, the recent spike in cases in the state has been mostly people returning from Maharashtra testing positive for coronavirus. The Times of India quoted Chikmagaluru Superintendent of Police Harish Pandey saying that the person was suffering from chronic alcohol dependency. With the curbs imposed on liquor sales during the first phases of lockdown, he was affected and had slipped into depression when he was mandated to stay in quarantine. He further said that the person knew that he was to be allowed to return home as he had tested negative. This incident comes after on Thursday a 55-year-old man who returned to his hometown in Dakshina Karnataka district with his family in Maharashtra allegedly took his own life. In that instance, district officials confirmed that the man was found dead even before he was tested for COVID-19. District officials suspected that the man had killed himself as he feared contracting the disease. Earlier on April 27, a person in Bengaluru who had contracted the disease and was undergoing treatment at the Victoria Hospital had allegedly killed himself. The 46-year-old was three days into his treatment and was simultaneously suffering from chronic kidney diseases. He was on temporary dialysis. If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers. Tamil Nadu: State health department suicide helpline number - 104 Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in TN Andhra Pradesh: Life Suicide Prevention Helpline No.78930-78930 Roshni Helpline 1: 9166202000 Helpline 2: 9127848584 Karnataka: Sahai : 24-hour helpline numbers: 080- 65000111, 080-65000222 Kerala: Maithri helpline - 0484-2540530 Chaithram helpline: 0484-2361161 Both are 24-hour helpline numbers. Telangana: Telangana government suicide prevention toll free no - 104 Roshni- 040-66202000, 6620200SEVA- 09441778290, 040 - 27504682 (between 9 AM and 7 PM)
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Four police stations in Karnataka’s coastal districts sealed after staff get COVID-19
The police said that all their primary and secondary contacts are being traced.
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Four police stations in Karnataka’s coastal districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada have been sealed after police personnel posted there tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Four policemen in four different police stations have tested positive. While three of these police stations are in Udupi district, one is in neighbouring Dakshina Kannada district. In Udupi, the three affected police stations are Ajekar, Karkala Rural and Brahmawar. The Times of India reported that district police superintendent N Vishnuvarshan and his team have been sanitizing these police stations with the help of health department officials. As a temporary measure, with the three police stations closed, police have set up an office in Karkala Circle with a small number of staff members drawn from other police stations. Daijiworld further reported that the B and C blocks of police quarters, where the family of the policeman posted in Karkala PS live, have been sealed and the entire area has been declared as a containment zone. The report said that close to 100 police staff working in these stations have to be quarantined as a precautionary measure. The police stations will again be open for the public on Wednesday. The police department is tracing all the primary and secondary contacts of these policemen who are now admitted in TMA Pai Hospital. In Dakshina Kannada district, meanwhile, Superintendent of Police BM Laxmi Prasad said a constable from Vittal Police station has tested positive. All the police personnel who tested positive in these two districts are contacts of patients who have already contracted the virus. The SP was quoted by the Times of India saying that all police staff on duty are given fresh masks, sanitizers and face shields. Incidentally in Bengaluru, a 34-year-old constable posted in the City Armed Reserve tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. He was deployed as a driver for COVID-19 special duty for Chamarajpet Police Station reports said. Further, he was deployed for containment measures in Tipu Nagar which was declared as a containment zone. Another Bengaluru police constable, attached to Pulikeshi Nagar police station, had contracted the infection earlier in the week.
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Sunday, May 24, 2020
U.S. is ahead of China in vaccine race, former FDA chief says
Data on Chinese vaccines in clinical development “didn’t look overwhelmingly strong,” Scott Gottlieb said.
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WHO official: ‘I cannot imagine’ U.S. pulling out of the international body
The official’s comments come nearly a week after President Donald Trump sent a letter to the WHO threatening to permanently halt funding.
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Warnings of overrun hospitals put nursing homes at risk, health official says
“There needs to be some accountability for all of these people that were making these fantastic estimates,” Mark Parkinson said.
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