With first COVID-19 case, Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district loses green tag

Coronavirus

Only Tumakuru and Chitradurga have a lesser testing ratio than Chamrajangara as of Tuesday.

TNM Staff

Representational image

Karnataka’s Chamrajnagar district, the only one so far to not have a single case of COVID-19 has lost its “green” status after the district reported its first case on Tuesday. Until Tuesday morning, the district bordering Mysuru was the only green district in the state with no known cases of COVID-19. With this, all 30 districts in the state have at least a single case of COVID-19. According to officials, the patient is a 25-year-old man and returned from Maharashtra recently. He was put in institutional quarantine following his return. District officials remain tightlipped over the development.  Despite multiple attempts, TNM could not elicit a response from concerned authorities. It has been learnt that the district administration will hold a press conference and share relevant details only in the evening. According to data compiled by the Karnataka COVID-19 War Room,  3808 cases out of the total 5760 cases reported in Karnataka until Monday evening are all patients who have recently returned from Maharashtra. The district administration in Chamarajanagar have been conducting tests for COVID-19 following the state health department protocols until now. According to data tabled by the State War Room, the district has the third lowest testing rate per million in the last 10 days. Only Tumakuru and Chitradurga have a lesser testing ratio than Chamrajangara. Going by the State War Room data, 631 persons per million population in the district has been tested. In terms of real numbers, 3051 persons have been tested till June 6. As things stand Kodagu (2), Tumakuru (3), Mysuru (6), Kopal (4), Ramngara (4) are the only districts with the number of active cases in single digits. In many districts, the active cases are in triple figures with Udupi district being the worst affected. The coastal district has 628 active cases, followed by Kalaburagi which has 539 active cases and Yadgir which has 488 cases. Another Hyderabad-Karnataka district Raichur has 276 active cases as of Monday evening. In total nine out of the 30 districts have more than 100 active cases as the total number of cases stand at 5760. Bengaluru Urban, the capital city has a total of 176 cases.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/3fiIYbF
via IFTTT

Three Portuguese nationals detained for allegedly trespassing into Bandipur Tiger Reserve

Lockdown

The trio claimed to have been in Bengaluru for work related to DRDO.

TNM Staff

Karnataka's Bandipur Tiger Reserve officials have detained three Portuguese nationals for trespassing into the forest range without permission amid lockdown on Sunday evening. "They have not been arrested but have been detained for interrogation. They said they wrongly entered the park," T Balachandra, Conservator of Forests and Field Director, Project Tiger, Bandipur, said. An official from the tiger reserve photographed the Portuguese trespassing. The three men entered the park on three bikes, wearing shorts and sunglasses. Incidentally, they entered the park on Sunday when it was shut, adhering to the COVID-19 lockdown rules. The three Portuguese nationals are Nuno Ricardo Bernardes Miranda Paciencia, Angelo Miguel Garrido and Tomas Pinho Marquez. The trio told Forest Department officials that they were in Bengaluru for the maintenance and repair of an aircraft control system belonging to a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and even showed officials a letter stating the same. However, forest officials told them that they were not supposed to leave Bengaluru.  "We have written to the DRDO asking for clarification over their claims. They will be kept in detention till we receive word from them about their role in Bengaluru," Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Ravi Kumar told TNM.  The two-wheelers the trio used have been seized and they are now in the custody of the Forest Department. A forest offence relating to trespassing into a tiger reserve was registered against them. According to sources, their visa validity was until April but they had to stay back due to the lockdown in India. They will remain in detention until their identity is verified, officials said.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/3dNoV4C
via IFTTT

Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda files nomination for Rajya Sabha elections

Politics

It will be the second time Deve Gowda will enter the Rajya Sabha, 24 years after was elected the first time.

TNM Staff

Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) supremo HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections, which are slated to be held on June 19.  Deve Gowda was greeted with loud cheers by the JD(S) legislators and councilmen at the Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday.  With this, he is the second veteran parliamentarian, who is set to be part of the upper house of the Indian parliament. The Congress and JD(S) in Karnataka formed an alliance to help elect Deve Gowda to the Rajya Sabha in exchange for the JD(S)’ support in the Legislative Council elections. The Congress has picked veteran parliamentarian Mallikarjun Kharge as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls. Incidentally Tuesday is also  the last date for filing nominations for these RS elections.  Following the announcement of his candidature, Deve Gowda’s son and former CM HD Kumaraswamy had said that it was Congress president Sonia Gandhi and several other national leaders, who requested his father to contest. This would be Deve Gowda’s second stint in the Rajya Sabha, 24 years after he was elected as a member and subsequently as the prime minister between June 1996 to April 1997.  With 68 lawmakers in the 225-member state legislative assembly, the Congress will have 24 votes to spare after casting 44 ballots to Kharge. As JD-S has 34 members, Gowda will need only 10 votes to win in the event of a contest for the fourth seat from the southern state, reported IANS. It may be recalled in May 2019, the JD(S) patriarch had suffered his third electoral defeat in his decades-long political career as a candidate for Lok Sabha elections from Tumakuru. BJP’s GS Basavaraju, defeated Deve Gowda, a four-time MP and a tall figure in the state’s politics. In fact, if the farmer-politician icon could have assuage his old allies BSP and CPI to refrain from contesting, he would have had a higher chance of victory, given that the BSP and CPI candidates got  a combined tally of 19,000-odd votes, while the winning margin for Basavaraj was only 13,000 votes. Deve Gowda has previously been a MLA and an MP six times each. The loss came at the cost of him vacating his fort -- Hassan -- for his grandson Prajwal Revanna. Even Mandya, which is a stronghold of his party, and where Deve Gowda enjoys significant popularity, was given to his other grandson Nikhil, who suffered a tremendous defeat against Sumalatha Ambareesh. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2AOpzQT
via IFTTT

‘No gatherings, temperature checks for visitors': Karnataka issues guidelines for RWAs

Coronavirus

The guidelines also mandated residents to wear masks outside their homes and physical distance of 2 metres or 6 feet should be maintained at all times.

TNM Staff

REPRESENTATIVE | PICXY.COM/RAJASTILLS

The Karnataka government has issued guidelines for Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) in apartments in the state over handling the COVID-19 pandemic, as relaxations come into place from June 8. "All gatherings including birthday parties, social gatherings, kitty parties, etc., in the campus shall not be allowed," stated the guidelines. The guidelines state that visitors to apartments will be screened before entering the premises using a thermal scanner. If the temperature is found to be higher than 99.5°F or if the visitor is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, they will be referred to the nearest fever clinic or hospital for a checkup.  The guidelines also mandated residents to wear masks outside their homes. It also stated that physical distance of minimum 2 metres or 6 feet should be maintained at all times, including in common areas like parks and walkways.  "Gymnasium, sports facilities, swimming pools, recreational and club facilities shall be used only after the issue of necessary guidelines are issued," the guidelines added. Children are also discouraged from playing outside in groups  "Elderly (aged more than 60 years) and children below 10 years shall stay indoors and adhere to instructions provided by the Karnataka government," the guidelines read. RWAs have also been asked to keep strict vigil for people who have been stamped and advised home quarantine. Residents have been asked to inform health authorities about such persons. They should stay indoors and not move around in the apartment area. "Be compassionate and avoid stigma & discrimination of any resident who is advised home quarantine or tests positive for COVID-19," reads the guidelines. Those developing COVID-19 symptoms have been asked to quarantine themselves at home for a 14-day period.  It also asks domestic workers and staff to be educated about using face masks and other etiquettes.  "Maids, helpers shall be educated to use face masks, hand hygiene, cough etiquette and physical distancing if they develop any symptoms like fever, cough, cold and throat pain, they shall be advised to visit nearest health facility," read the guidelines. Read: Travelling to Karnataka from other states? Here are guidelines from June 8    

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2YbqG50
via IFTTT

Karnataka garment factory workers resume protest over overnight layoffs

Labour Rights

It was after their weekly shift on Saturday evening that the 1,300 workers at the Mandya garment factory saw the notice that said they have been laid-off.

Prajwal Bhat

Workers at Euro Clothing Company’s factory in Srirangapatna town of Mandya district began a fresh protest on Monday over the decision to lay off 1,300 employees without any warning.  The factory is affiliated to Gokaldas Exports Ltd, one of the major exporters in Karnataka. The workers found out about the layoff notice on Saturday evening at the end of their weekly work shift.  The deadlock between the workers and the company's management remained unresolved on Monday with workers sitting within the factory premises protesting the sudden lay-offs.  Labour department officials scheduled a meeting between the workers and company officials on Tuesday afternoon in Mysuru. SB Ravikumar, Deputy Labour Commissioner, issued a letter to the Managing Director of the Euro Clothing Company- II factory unit based in Srirangapatna and officials from Gokaldas Exporters. In the letter, the labour commissioner detailed the complaints made by the workers and highlighted that the company decided to lay off its employees without forewarning and without informing the state government.  The workers contended that the lay-off notice issued by the exporter was in violation of the law, particularly section 25M of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.   The Act states that prior approval from the “appropriate government” is required to lay-off a workman when the industrial establishment (not being of a seasonal character or in which work is performed only intermittently) has more than 100 workmen employed on an average per working day for the preceding 12 months.   In the notice issued on Saturday evening, factory manager Manjunath stated that the workers will be laid off and that the work at the factory unit will be reduced in view of shutting it down due to the lack of orders during the COVID-19 crisis. It also stated that the workers will be paid half of their wages and the factory will not be operational. An impromptu sit-in protest at the factory premises on Saturday evening was diffused when Nagamangala Tehsildar MV Roopa assured the workers that a tripartite meeting will be held along with factory officials on Monday to resolve the matter.  On Monday morning, workers arrived at the factory premises to stage a fresh protest. Labour department officials asked factory officials to revoke the layoff notice. However, it was met with a 'rigid' response from officials associated with the garment exporter.  "We held meetings with the officials on Monday but they said that they cited the same reason for laying them off, that is, due to lack of orders in view of the COVID-19 crisis. The labour department has now issued a notice to the company against this decision," said Roopa.  The Euro Clothing Company's second factory unit, where the 1,300 workers were employed, was established 10 years ago, in July 2010. It manufactures clothes of various Indian and foreign brands, including from the United States of America and Europe. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2Ym4LbA
via IFTTT

Travelling to Karnataka from other states? Here are guidelines from June 8

Travel

A 14-day home quarantine stamp will be marked on the hands of all passengers at entry points, except business travellers.

TNM Staff

PTI : Image for representation

The Karnataka government has released new guidelines for interstate travellers, which are applicable from June 8. Self-registration on the Seva Sindhu portal is mandatory but no approval (or e-pass) is required to travel. Passengers from all states will be screened at the border check-posts, airports, railway stations, bus stands and at sea ports.  A 14-day home quarantine stamp will be marked on the hands of all passengers (at the back of the hand), except for business travellers.  Symptomatic travellers from Maharashtra, other states  Symptomatic passengers entering Karnataka from all states, including Maharashtra, will be taken for hospital isolation at COVID Care Centre (CCC) or Dedicated COVID Health Centre (DCHC) and will be tested upon arrival. If positive for coronavirus, they will be shifted to Dedicated COVID Hospitals (DCH). If tested negative, they will be sent for a 14-day home quarantine, after ruling out other health conditions.  Asymptomatic travellers from Maharashtra All asymptomatic passengers travelling to Karnataka from Maharastra will now undergo seven days of institutional quarantine and seven days of home quarantine. The testing criteria for those returning Maharashtra has also been tweaked.   Persons aged above 50 years or/and with co-morbidity (HlV, tuberculosis, cancer, stroke, dialysis, organ transplant, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and other immunocompromised) will be tested once between the fifth and seventh day of their arrival in Karnataka.  Asymptomatic passengers from Maharashtra belonging to certain categories — those visiting over a death in the family, pregnant women, children aged below 10 years, elderly aged above 60 years, serious illness and human distress — will be exempted from institutional quarantine and allowed to quarantine at home. Their swabs will be collected for testing on arrival.  Persons from Maharashtra, who can produce a coronavirus-negative certificate from a lab approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), within the last two days of arrival, will be exempted from institutional quarantine and can go for 14-day home quarantine. Earlier, the Karnataka government had said all passengers from Maharashtra — whether symptomatic or asymptomatic — must undergo seven days of institutional quarantine and seven days of home quarantine. Asymptomatic travellers from other states Asymptomatic passengers travelling to Karanataka from states other than Maharashtra can undergo 14-day quarantine at home. They will be tested if they exhibit symptoms during this period. They will be sent to institutional quarantine if they do not have the ideal environment for home quarantine, such as a large family, no separate rooms, slum and overcrowded areas.  Criteria for business travellers from all states  Business travellers coming to Karnataka from all states, including Maharashtra, need to show proof of a return ticket, which is not later than seven days from the date of arrival in the state.   According to the revised guidelines, business travellers staying in Karnataka for less than 48 hours will be exempted from COVID-19 testing and quarantine, although they should wear masks, use hand sanitiser and follow cough etiquette. Those staying for more than 48 hours and less than seven days will be tested for COVID-19 and can resume their work after the test results have returned negative. Until then, such persons should remain in quarantine. Alternatively, if business travellers carry a coronavirus-negative certificate from an ICMR-approved lab (not less than two days before arrival), they will be exempted from testing and quarantine.   The state government also stated that there will be no quarantine for business travellers who are natives of Karnataka and going to other states if the person is returning within four days. On the other hand, such persons returning after more than four days should report to Apthamitra Helpline (14410) regarding the status of their health during the next 14 days. They will also have to follow certain quarantine protocols. Business travellers will not be hand-stamped upon their return. Transit travellers will, however, be issued a quarantine hand-stamp. Transit passengers should also carry a flight or train ticket which is not more than one day later than their date of arrival in Karnataka.  In another key change, deputy commissioners in various districts and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) commissioner have been empowered to assess and change quarantine of inter-state travellers from home quarantine to institutional quarantine and vice-versa.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2YtRJZF
via IFTTT

Malls in Hyderabad and Bengaluru remain deserted on first day of shops reopening

Coronavirus

Being a weekday, shopping centres remained deserted on the first day of reopening, but footfalls may not increase anytime soon.

Nitin B.

Soumya Chatterjee

On Monday, malls in Hyderabad and Bengaluru threw open their doors to shoppers after nearly three months of remaining closed due to the nationwide lockdown induced by the coronavirus pandemic.  TNM visited a few popular malls in both the cities to observe the arrangements and the crowds gathered on day one of the shops reopening. Forum mall in Koramangala on Monday afternoon  In Hyderabad, many malls wore a deserted look on Monday morning as people stayed away. At Sarath City Capital Mall located on the Gachibowli - Miyapur road, very few shoppers were seen, even as security guards conducted thermal checks on all who entered.  "We just wanted to buy some clothes. We are still a little worried about eating in the mall. We will make our purchase and go back home," says Fathima Begum, who visited the mall on Monday morning with two other relatives.  A supermarket in a mall in Bengaluru  Other shopping centres like Hyderabad Central at Punjagutta and City Centre in Banjara Hills were also relatively empty.  Inorbit Mall located at Madhapur also made several arrangements to welcome visitors. It will be open from 11 am to 8 pm only and restrictions will be put on entry, to ensure that physical distancing is maintained at all times.  However, GVK One in Banjara Hills, which is one of most frequented malls in Hyderabad, remained closed on Monday as the management was discussing how to regulate crowds and ensure protection gear for its staff.  Speaking to PTI, N Parthasaradhy, Vice-President, GVK One, said that the mall will be open to the public from June 10.  " Entrance to a mall food court We have kept single point entry and exit for our staff and retail staff and everybody needs to have an Aarogya Setu App and show that they are safe. If somebody does not have the app, they will have to sign a self-declaration form." Parthasaradhy said. "Earlier we had four entry points for customers which now we are restricting to two. The 20-person lifts will now be restricted to just six to maintain the physical distance among customers," he added. In all the malls, masks are compulsory and hand sanitisers have been dispensed to customers at entry points. In Karnataka, malls opened their gates on Monday for the first time since March 14, after relaxations announced by the state government in Karnataka.  Being a weekday and with cinemas and play areas closed, shopping centres remained more or less deserted on the first day of reopening.  Another reason for malls being deserted could be that it was a Monday morning, when most people are working. Malls are often a place of leisure, and not a place one would go for an urgent or necessary purchase. Given that e-commerce has opened up for non-essential orders as well, mall footfall could see an uptick in  later in the day, or over the weekend. Around 7:30 pm on Monday, Garuda mall, one of the most well known commercial shopping centre's in Bengaluru, which will remain open till 8 pm everyday had 60 percent of its establishments open, but hardly 20 visitors. The building which is undergoing a renovation has one gate open for entry where thermal screening, full body disinfecting and hand sanitising facilities are set up at the entry point.   Uday Garudachar, owner of Garuda Malls, said that it has been a slow start to business but there are positives to look forward to.  “It would seem that people are still very hesitant to come into the malls despite all the precautions. But I heard from my people that by 4 pm, around 120 cars had come to the parking lot. So, going by that, I can tell you that 400-500 people at least came to the mall. But in the days to come, these numbers will definitely improve.” Speaking to TNM, the manager at a retail chain store inside the mall said that the entire experience of not having visitors in the mall felt new.  We have hardly had any customers today. We have all the safety measures in place. Our trial rooms are operational partially. We are sanitising the room and touch points after each use. But yeah we have to wait and see to know the actual impact.  He added that it was difficult to attribute lack of crowds to any one reason. It could be the building renovation, COVID-19 and the fact that it is a weekday.  "It is only the first day. I think it will be at least a week by the time we get to know what is the driving reason," he added A staffer at Koramangala’s Forum Mall said, “We have not made any calculations as far as footfall is concerned. But we saw many people coming in and they were convinced with our safety precautions. We expect business to pick up steadily as the week progresses.” In terms of safety precautions, thermal screening and hand sanitization is a common feature found in all these malls. Floor markings are made on elevators and escalators to ensure physical distancing among shoppers and staff. Visible sanitization activity also takes place, with staff regularly disinfecting common touch points such as handrails and door handles. While some malls like the Garuda and Forum made it mandatory for Arogya Setu app for customers, others such as the Oasis kept a register of names and phone numbers of those entering the mall premises.  In addition, Forum Malls have a disinfection tunnel that all customers entering the mall have to walk through in order to enter.  Malls in Tamil Nadu which has the highest COVID-19 cases among Southern states and Kerala, where cases have been on the rise recently, remain closed on June 8.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/30kcHwo
via IFTTT