Roof of Bengaluru’s Tennis Pavilion collapses, over 200 migrant citizens moved out

Lockdown

The migrant citizens comprised of 100 men, 40 women, 45 kids and six children below the age of one.

TNM Staff

The roof of the Tennis Pavilion, located in Bengaluru’s Palace Grounds, came crashing down on migrant workers due to the rains on Friday evening. According to All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) Karnataka, about 100 men, 40 women, 45 kids and six children below the age of one, were present, all of whom were completely drenched after the roof gave way.   Over an hour after the incident, a bus of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) came to pick up the workers with their luggage to transport them to another location. The workers were supposed to be shifted to Tripura Vasini, a banquet hall, but the venue was shut. Workers were still in the bus, completely drenched due to the rain, and no physical distancing could be followed, according to reports. Only after some time passed was the venue opened up.   Narrating the incident, one of the workers said, “The storm came and the roof fell down. We want to tell the government that there are small children, women — a lot of people, they are stuck here. There are people from Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Jharkhand and Odisha here. We request the government to shift these people today itself urgently or will have to move from here on foot,” he said. 1/n From the tennis pavilion now where the roof came crashing down. Workers survived it but are scared, tense, asking for support. We salute bravery of Mr Ravi Kumar of @BlrCityPolice who saved them. @clifroz @ralpharakal @Karmika_Sahaya @WeAreBangalore @DalitCamera @nimmasuresh pic.twitter.com/6JlsDr4YH4 — AICCTU Karnataka (@aicctukar) May 29, 2020 The families were rescued by Ravi Kumar of the Bengaluru City Police when the roof crashed. “We have narrowly survived. There was a police officer who helped us. A lot of people came forward to help to remove the people from under the roof. Everyone's luggage, mobile and cash is stuck under the rubble," the worker said. The migrant citizens, who have been waiting to go home, were left tense, and asked the government for help. Some said they would begin walking home in the morning, according to AICCTU Karnataka. "I fold my hands and request the government to send us back home within 3 days or we will just leave from here,” the worker in the video posted by AICCTU Karnataka said. Another worker with her toddler said that the baby was on her shoulders when the roof collapsed. “We want to go from here. If we stay here, we might lose our baby. I can’t get milk for my baby and she does not eat food but only drinks milk from the bottle. What will we feed the baby?” she asked. One worker said that he will leave tomorrow, with or without the government’s help. “No matter how, we have to leave tomorrow morning. Please help us. We request the government to help us reach our destination somehow. Regardless, we will leave on foot tomorrow. This we promise. We need this because our family members are very scared. If something happens to us here and we die, then everyone in my family will go. There are four-five mouths to feed at home, and I’m the only earning member. This is the case for all families and all people. There is no one to earn,” he said.

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Bengaluru corporator tests positive for coronavirus, no known contacts

Coronavirus

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Commissioner BH Anil Kumar confirmed the development to TNM.

Soumya Chatterjee

In one of the first instances of an elected representative getting directly affected by COVID-19 in Karnataka, Imran Pasha, corporator of Padarayanapura ward in Bengaluru tested positive on Friday. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Commissioner BH Anil Kumar confirmed the development to TNM. “He has tested positive,” Anil Kumar told TNM when asked if the corporator has tested positive. Documents accessed by TNM show he was asymptomatic when he tested positive. He has no known contact with any patient who has already tested positive, neither does he have any relevant travel history. The ward in West Bengaluru has been in the news as it has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the city and was sealed off wholly in the initial days of the lockdown. At present the ward has 25 active cases while a total of 64 cases were reported.  The total number of cases reported from Bengaluru city stands at 303 till date. According to the BBMP, the ward will have containment measures put in place till June 21 if no further cases are reported. The ward was also one of the first places in Bengaluru where mass testing as random tests carried out returned positive results. Padarayanapaura had grabbed headlines after a ruckus took place on April 20 after some residents of the ward did not want to undergo institutional quarantine as asked by the BBMP and Health Department officials. At that time the ward had 11 COVID-19 patients and the health department and BBMP officials were trying to quarantine the primary and secondary contacts. Out of them, four had attended the Tablighi Jamaat conference in Delhi. Following the incident of violence, around 120 persons were arrested by the police for vandalism. Five of those who were arrested and transferred to Ramanaraga district jail had tested positive.

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Air, rail travellers from high risk states to K'taka to pay for mandatory tests on arrival

Coronavirus

Rs 650 has been fixed by the government as the flat fee for test per passenger.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government on Friday passed an order making it mandatory for all  international passengers and those travelling from high-risk states by trains and planes to pay Rs 650 and undertake COVID-19 tests. As of now, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh are categorised as high-risk states, but this is subject to change. Health department officials clarified there is no change in quarantine policy for the incoming passengers. Notably these tests will be carried out by pooling methods (5 samples in one pool as per national guidelines) in real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) kits in private labs. The order said this testing will be carried out to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in the state and the capacity available with private labs will be utilized to the maximum extent to do the tests within 24 hours of them reaching KarnatakaIf the tests are negative, people will be allowed to go to their homes and be in home quarantine for 7 days. The order by the Health and Family Welfare and Ayush Services Commissionerate mentioned that this is being done as there is a limitation on the institutional quarantine capacity available with BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) and various other districts. The crisis in the hospitality industry has arisen due to many migrant workers working in the hospitality sectors having returned to their homes. The order further said that in a meeting conducted with private labs it has been decided to assign them various categories of passengers. For Bengaluru, Xcyton Diagnostics will handle all air passengers, while interstate passengers will be tested by six labs—- Neuberg Anand Reference Laboratories,  Cancyte Technologies Private Limited, Aster Lab, Narayana Hrudayalaya Lab, Vydehi Hospital and Lab andSyngene International Limited. The order mentions that the airport authorities, railways etc. will provide necessary space for establishing swab Collection kiosks or centres free of cost. The order has also mentioned four IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officers as nodal officers for three category of patients. Meena Nagaraj—- international passengers M. Manivannan—- domestic air passengers K Dayanand——- inter-state train passengers These officers will be responsible for the establishment and operationalization of above mentioned testing methodology and further follow-up, the order further said. Further it has been stated that when a passenger tests positive after the test, the jurisdictional District Health and Family Welfare Officer / Chief Health Officer of the BBMP will be informed for necessary movement of patient to hospital, contact tracing and tracking. The Deputy Commissioner of the remaining 29 districts has been asked to set up similar ties with ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) approved private labs with passengers as done above for BBMP or rest of Bengaluru Urban.

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Manipal Institute of Technology students raise concerns but college to go ahead with online exams

Education

Students cited the lack of study materials, stress over the pandemic and logistical issues for opposing online examinations.

Soumya Chatterjee

Manipal Institute of Technology students have raised concerns over the decision to conduct online sessionals and end-semester exams for undergraduate students in the college. An online petition started by anonymous students has garnered over 1,500 signatures so far, and it asks the university to provide alternatives for students who don't wish to opt for online exams, and don't wish to face repercussions due to it.  Manipal Institute of Technology has already held quizzes online over the past week and plans to hold its sessionals in June, again online. The end semester examinations planned in July are also slated to be held online.  Manipal Institute of Technology, a part of Manipal Academy of Higher Education, is based in Manipal, a town in Karnataka's Udupi district. The college attracts thousands of students from across the country for its engineering courses.  The students were forced to cut short their semester and return to their homes in March following the nationwide lockdown imposed due to the outbreak of coronavirus cases. The students were then asked to attend online classes and appear for quizzes in May before their second sessional was scheduled to be held online in June.  Some students are now questioning the need for holding online examinations now and point to the fact that there are students living with the realities of staying in containment zones. "We want the college administration to know some of our concerns and they should not brush aside concerns of mental health and well being. Some of my friends are living in red zones and containment areas in Mumbai but no considerations have been announced for any student," says a student who wished to remain anonymous.  The students pointed to network issues and in some cases, the inability to step out and buy stationary items. Some students also highlighted that they left their notes and study materials in their hostel rooms in Manipal expecting that they would return to the college for writing exams.  The examinations in Manipal University's Jaipur and Sikkim campuses have not been announced and it is only in Manipal that the exams are being held.  In response to the students' concerns, the college administration stated that that more than 95% of its students took part in the quizzes and online classes held this month, a sign that the online mode is not hindering many students. The college administration also says that they will be given the option to take the exam in Manipal after they return to the classrooms.   "We have given them an option that once they can write exams once they come back to the campus. These online exams are not mandatory," says Narayan Sabhahit, Registrar of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) says.  "If any student is unable to appear for the end semester examination for genuine reasons, he/she will be provided an opportunity to write the end semester exam without any penalty aller restoration of near normalcy and when the constituent institutions of MAHE reopen," reads a statement issued by the university.  However, students say that even though the exams are not mandatory, it will hinder them if they do not opt to take them now. "Since I am a 3rd year student, if I do not take the online exam now, I will have to retake the exams along with my seventh semester exams which is when I will be having my placements," says a student of the college who did not wish to be named The college administration says that in this case, it is advisable to take up the exams online now instead of postponing it. "We have told students that during placements, companies expect the results of the sixth semester. Those who decide to take the physical exam later, we don't know when it will be held. We have told students that it is better to take the online examination," Narayan Sabhahit says. The college administration further says that it is not necessary for students to be connected to the internet throughout the exam. "Students would need internet connection only to download the question paper and to upload the answers. The encrypted question paper can be downloaded much in advance of the commencement of the examination. The question paper viewing can only be enabled just before the start of exam through an OTP sent to students registered mobile number," reads a statement issued by the university. It also indicates that the university will reopen for students in August.  

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Karnataka reports 248 COVID-19 cases in a day, Bengaluru total touches 303

Coronavirus

Prior to this, Karnataka has seen a spike of over 200 cases only once before, on May 23, when 216 new cases were reported.

TNM Staff

Friday saw the highest single-day rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka since the onset of the novel coronavirus disease pandemic in the state on March 8, with the addition of 248 new cases. Prior to this only, only May 23 saw a spike of over 200 cases, with an addition of 216 cases. The state on Friday also reported the death of a 50-year-old COVID-19 patient who was admitted to hospital on May 24 with a head injury and died on Friday in a private hospital in Bengaluru. She was suffering from pneumonia and had an acute kidney injury. This brings the tally of COVID-19 fatalities in the state to 48. The 248 cases were distributed in 29 districts of the state with three districts of the Hyderabad-Karnataka region reporting over 60 cases each.  Raichur, with 62 cases, saw the highest number of cases, followed by Kalaburagi, with 61 cases and Yadgir reporting 60 cases. Udupi, which saw the fourth highest cases for Friday, had 15 patients who tested positive while Bengaluru saw a jump in cases by 12. Ballari saw a rise in cases by 11. With this Bengaluru city remains the worst-affected district in the state, with 303 total cases, followed by Mandya which has 257. Kalaburagi is the third-worst affected district in the state with 251 cases, while Yadgir has 223 cases. Rest of the districts have less than 200 cases, with Udupi being the highest of the lot, with 164 cases. Maharashtra returnees form bulk of new cases Among the 227 new cases that were reported on Friday who were among interstate passengers, 208 (91.6%) cases were among patients with travel history to Maharashtra. The 208 cases were divided across 10 districts — 15 cases from Udupi, 2 from Mandya, 60 from Yadgir, 61 from Kalaburagi, 82 from Raichur, four from Vijayapura, and one each from Tumakuru, Ballari Chikkaballapura and Dharwad districts. The rest of the patients are among contacts of infected persons, residents of containment zones, or have international travel history.  Notably, seven people in Bengaluru and one person in Chikkaballapura have no relevant contact or travel history. Eight other patients are contacts of infected persons.

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Karnataka Film Academy requests CM Yediyurappa to allow filming with limited crew

Coronavirus

The academy’s chairman told TNM that physical distancing would be maintained at all sets.

TNM Staff

Members of the Karnataka Film Academy met Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and requested him to grant permission to allow filming in the state. Yediyurappa assured the team that he would discuss with the Centre and then decide on whether shooting of films could be permitted.  Speaking to TNM, Chairman of the Karnataka Film Academy, Sunil Puranik, said that filming for around 60 films has been stopped due to the lockdown and many more will not be able to complete filming if they are not allowed to continue. The industry has suffered a loss of Rs 500 crore during the lockdown period, he said.  “Buses where 40 people can travel have been allowed to operate. Most commercial establishments have been open. But we have not been allowed to function. Between March and May, we have suffered huge losses. In many cases, filming of songs and climax is the only thing remaining. These people too have to earn,” Sunil Puranik said.  The academy’s members also requested CM Yediyurappa to allow single screen theatres to open as multiplexes have to wait for the Centre’s guidelines. He also said that if shooting resumes, precautions will be taken and the government’s guidelines will be adhered to.  “We will obviously have to reduce the number of people who are going to work on the set. The actors will have to remove the masks while we shoot the scenes but all others will have to wear masks and gloves. If we were initially using three technicians, we will have to restrict it to one. These are some of the restrictions we proposed. If the government imposes any other restrictions, we will oblige,” he added.  He said that the academy is hopeful that the government will allow them to begin filming as Yediyurappa was supportive of their requests. “He said that he will speak to the Centre and ask them to allow filming to begin. He said that he is in support of all businesses to begin operations,” Sunil Puranik said.   

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Almost half of Karnataka’s COVID-19 patients are those who returned from Maharashtra

Coronavirus

Prior to this only, only May 23 saw a spike in cases in excess of 200 with an addition of 216 cases

Soumya Chatterjee

Image for representation

More than two months since the onset of the novel coronavirus disease pandemic starting from March 8, almost half of Karnataka’s COVID-19 patients are now those who returned from neighbouring Maharashtra. As the spike in cases continues, till Friday evening, among the 2,781 cases in the state, 1,348 persons are those who tested positive following their return from Maharashtra. This makes up 48.47% of all cases in the state till date. The trend of a high number of Maharashtra returnees testing positive for COVID-19, which has been the case for more than two weeks, was also maintained on Friday. 208 out of the 248 new cases reported on Friday were all returnees from Maharashtra. The 208 were divided across 10 districts — 15 cases from Udupi, 2 from Mandya, 60 from Yadgir, 61 from Kalaburagi, 82 from Raichur, four from Vijayapura, and one each from Tumakuru, Ballari Chikkaballapura and Dharwad districts. Even on Thursday, among the 115 new cases reported on the day, 85 were from Maharashtra.  The same trend was observed earlier in the week as well. On Wednesday out of the total 135 cases, 115 were from Maharashtra. Similarly, while on Monday, 69 out of the 93 cases were from Maharashtra, there were 47 cases reported from Maharashtra out of the 101 reported on Tuesday. Among the districts, Mandya is the most affected with 217 total cases from the district having a travel history from Maharashtra. Yadgir is the second-largest affected district when it comes to cases among inter-state returnees from Maharashtra. Hassan and Udupi are the other major affected districts with 125 and 117 patients, respectively, who have a travel history to Maharashtra while Chikkaballapur has 107 such cases. Other than that, no district has more than 100 cases with a travel history to Maharashtra. 

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