Two Bengaluru medical institutes affected as around 50 staffers quarantined

Coronavirus

36 people in NIMHANS and 13 staff members at Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Science have been sent to quarantine.

TNM Staff

Representational image

Two top medical institutes in Bengaluru have been affected by the recent spurt of COVID-19 infections in the past few days, as the rise of COVID-19 cases continues unabated in the state. These two hospitals are the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) and Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Science. Officials working in NIMHANS confirmed that six women staffers of the hospital tested positive after a patient who was admitted last week at the emergency ward had tested positive. All these staffers were in institutional quarantine as they had come in contact with the infected patient. Dr KS Meena, NIMHANS, Media Cell, told reporters, “They are among those who were quarantined who had come in contact with the patient who had tested positive. Two are security guards, four are sanitation workers. A total of 36 people have been quarantined, out of whom six are positive. The six were shifted to Victoria hospital yesterday (Saturday).” She added, “13 patients and 36 staff were categorized as high-risk contacts.” TNM has earlier reported how last Sunday, NIMHANS had shifted its emergency care unit to adjacent buildings within the premises following the incident. The entire building, where the emergency unit was shut for sanitization purposes. Similarly, 13 hospital staff at Jayadeva were put under quarantine as one patient suffering from cardiac ailments had tested positive for COVID-19 after she succumbed. The Hindu reported that the 74-year-old woman had died on June 12 in the intensive care unit.  Jayadeva director Dr CN Manjunath, who is also the nodal officer for COVID-19 testing in the state, said that even though all staff working in ICU wear N95 masks and face shields, they have been put in quarantine as a precautionary measure. He further said that patients and concerned family members, including those in adjacent cubicles, have been isolated.

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COVID-19 lockdown left victims of IMA ponzi scheme high and dry

Coronavirus

Almost 85% of the investors were from Karnataka while others belonged to different parts of the country including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Delhi.

PTI

The coronavirus induced lockdown over the past two months has proved to be harrowing for a majority of the victims of the Rs 4,000 crore I-Monetary Advisory (IMA) ponzi scam, with some of them saying they had to depend on others for their day-to-day needs. After losing all the money in the IMA group entities in 2019, the biggest challenge for the duped investors was survival during the coronavirus related lockdown. Mohammed Mansoor Khan who operated the ponzi scheme in Bengaluru, lured people, proming huge returns. Besides a large number of Muslims, many Hindus and Christians too invested in the firm, sources said. A CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe has shown that IMA group entities headed by Mansoor Khan had raised illegal and unauthorised deposits in an alleged dishonest and fraudulent manner from innocent investors to the tune of over Rs 4,000 crore. "To win the trust of people, Khan gave huge returns initially, which the investors had never expected. Soon, his firm became very popular and people started investing huge money," said an officer in the Special Investigation Team formed by the then HD Kumaraswamy-led coalition government, which had initially probed the case. Almost 85% of the investors were from Karnataka while others belonged to different parts of the country including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Delhi. Tears rolled down his cheeks as Salim Basha, a resident of Hubballi, recalled how he coped with the situation during the lockdown. "I had saved Rs 3 lakh for the marriage of my niece, which I invested in the IMA.I had no inkling that I would be cheated," Basha said. He said he was not in a position to do the job of even a security guard due to age related ailments while his only son who worked in a small company did not get the salary during the lockdown. "For the first time in my life I had to depend on others for food," Basha narrated his agony. The lockdown compounded their woes, he added. Rajesh Naik and his brother Kishore Naik, who live in Bengaluru, had saved about Rs 50 lakh from their hard earned income. Instead of investing in banks, mutual funds or post offices, they opted to deposit it with the IMA on the advice of their friend. "....now we don't have a penny.During the lockdown, we could not pay our house rent despite being threatened by the house owner..," the Naik brothers said. Another victim, Razia Amin said her family members and relatives had lost approximately Rs 80 lakh which they had invested in the company. "While I managed to sail through the lockdown smoothly because of my job, some of my relatives who are living in abject poverty led a hand-to-mouth situation. Arranging two square meals was difficult for them," she recalled. "Difficulties have now been somewhat minimised with the easing of restrictions," she added. About 25 people have been arrested in the case including the seven directors of the IMA group. The Central Bureau of Investigation recently sought permission from the state government to prosecute an IAS officer, two IPS officers, a Karnataka Administrative Service officer and a few other government employees who had misled the government on the IMA case and had given a clean chit to the ponzi scheme. According to CBI sources,the IAS officer along with two other officers allegedly collected Rs 1.5 crore to hush up the case. While the probe is on, the victims are clueless whether they would get their money back. "Whether you hang him (Mansoor Khan) or pardon him is not our concern, we want our money back. He operated his ponzi scheme right under the nose of the government, so the government has to ensure that our money is returned," Salim Basha said. The case came to light when Mohammed Mansor Khan fled to Dubai, leaving behind a video message, saying he was committing suicide because of "corruption in the state and central governments." Khan was arrested on July 19 last year on his arrival in New Delhi. He had allegedly promised returns ranging from 2.5 to 3 per cent per month to the investors. The Karnataka government had set up a SIT of the police to probe the case before handing it over to the CBI.

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Bengaluru has 31 new COVID-19 cases, Karnataka tally at 6824

Coronavirus

Of this, 3,648 people have recovered and only 3,092 active cases remain.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

PTI in New Delhi

Thirty one new cases of COVID-19 has been reported in Bengaluru city on Thursday. Nearly half of the patients in Bengaluru, a total of 14 patients, had ILI (influenza like illness) and SARI (severe acute respiratory infection). The rest are those who were contacts of other patients, including inter-state and inter-district travellers. 308 new cases were reported from the state on Saturday with Kalaburagi, Yadagir and Bidar reporting the most number of cases. Six staff member at NIMHANS hospital too have tested positive for the virus. According to a spokesperson for NIMHANS, 36 staff members were quarantined, out of that six tested positive for coronavirus. Among those who tested positive, four were cleaning staff, and two were security guards. The others who were quarantined have tested negative, she said. Bengaluru has reported coronavirus 648 cases so far, with a total of 29 deaths. Bengaluru also reported two out of the three deaths reported in Saturday evening bulletin. Patient number 6375 who died was a 23-year-old man, diagnosed with influenza-like illness. He went to the hospital with complaints of fever, vomiting and headache. He was known to have been a diabetes patient. He was admitted on June 9 and died on June 12. The other deceased from Bengaluru was Patient 6557, a 62-year-old man, who was also diagnosed with influenza like illness. He was admitted to a private hospital on June 9, shifted to a government hospital on June 11, and died on June 12. Dharwad district has reported one death. Patient 6258 was a 70-year-old male, who complained of breathlessness. He had returned form Maharashtra. He was admitted on June 9 and died on June 12. Kalaburagi district has reported 67 new cases of coronavirus, taking the total number of cases in the district to 883. There are currently 496 cases which are active in Kalaburagi. Yadgir has reported 52 new cases, taking the district tally to 787. There are 549 cases active in the district currently. Ballari, part of the new outbreak of coronavirus in the state, has reported 11 new cases, taking the total to 179, and the district has 129 active cases currently. This district is expected to report more cases of coronavirus in the coming days as many people working in the JSW steel plant have been quarantined and are contacts of patients. Read: 103 COVID-19 cases in Ballari connected to Jindal's steel plant, thousands quarantined Meanwhile, the Karnataka Minister K Sudhakar, in charge of responding to the COVID crisis in the state, has said that they were expecting coronavirus cases to peak in August. The Minister said that preparations were being made. Read: Karnataka preparing to face worst case COVID scenario: Minister K Sudhakar There are currently 15 patients in intensive care units. 11 are in Bengaluru, two in Bidar, and one each in Kalaburagi and Mandya districts. The state has reported 209 discharges on Saturday- 110 of them were from Udupi, and 32 were from Kalaburagi. Raichuru and Hassan have reported 14 discharges each, and 13 in Davangere.

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103 COVID-19 cases in Ballari connected to Jindal's steel plant, thousands quarantined

Coronavirus

Residents in the district are asking workers in the JSW factory to avoid entering the roads in their village.

Prajwal Bhat

Photograph via jsw.in

103 coronavirus cases reported in Ballari district of Karnataka are connected to the Toranagallu-based JSW steel plant. This has prompted concerns among district officials about a cluster of cases among the factory's workers and their families. JSW is a Indian businesses conglomerate part of the Jindal group and led by Sajjan Jindal.  Those who tested positive for the virus include workers, their family members and others who came in contact with the workers of the factory based in Ballari. They are residents of four townships of Jindal, VV Nagar, Shankargudda Colony, Toranagallu and Taranagar.  A 35-year-old worker in the Corex unit of JSW's plant in Ballari had travelled to Tamil Nadu and returned to Ballari at the end of May. His mother tested positive in Tamil Nadu following which he developed symptoms of fever and cold. He approached a fever clinic in Ballari where he tested positive for coronavirus on June 4.  He informed district health officials that he had travelled to Tamil Nadu via Bengaluru before returning to Ballari. Since then, his family members, colleagues in the Corex unit and a coordinator with the Central Maintenance Department have tested positive for the virus.  All the workers who tested positive for the virus have been shifted to the designated COVID-19 hospital in the district. Around 420 workers considered the primary and secondary contacts of the patients who tested positive have been quarantined at the Rock Regency Hotel in Ballari by JSW. There are over 30,000 workers at the JSW plant and state Environment and Forest Minister Anand Singh stated that the work inside the factory will be stopped. "We have held discussions with them (JSW). However,some boilers cannot be stopped and they will be maintained by a skeletal staff of the factory. They have said that one-third of the factory's workers will be reporting to work," Anand Singh told reporters. More than 10,000 workers in the factory have been asked to quarantine themselves at home as officials trace the contacts of the patients who tested positive.  However, panic has spread among residents of Ballari. Residents of villages in the district are asking workers in the JSW factory to avoid entering the roads in their village and stick to the main roads or by-pass roads while travelling to work. Many residents also asked those working in the factory to quarantine themselves either at home or at the factory itself.   

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Bengaluru Crime Branch office sealed after suspect tests positive for coronavirus

Crime

The CCB office was sealed on Friday for sanitisation and police officers quarantined, after one of the suspects in an Ola cheating case tested positive.

IANS

File photo

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) office in Bengaluru was sealed until Sunday, after a suspect tested positive for the coronavirus, an official said on Saturday. The office was sealed on Friday for sanitisation. "CCB office has been sealed until Sunday following an Ola cheating-case suspect testing positive for the virus," Deputy Commissioner of Police Kuldeep Jain told IANS. The four Ola case suspects, who fleeced the startup of lakhs of rupees while misusing technology were tested after interrogation, and one of them tested positive for the virus. Read: Four Ola drivers in Bengaluru cheat firm of lakhs of rupees using fake location tech Used for locking up suspects during police custody, the CCB facility can accommodate up to 10 people. Different wings of the department such as the economic offences wing, anti-narcotics wing and others use the common lockup to house suspects. Once the suspects or accused are produced in a court and placed under judicial custody, they are shifted to a larger prison. Meanwhile, 22 policemen who work with the CCB are under institutional quarantine and will be administered COVID tests after five days. The CCB office is centrally located in Bengaluru, inside the Police Commissioner’s office on Infantry Road near Cubbon Park, High Court and Vidhana Soudha. Meanwhile, another police station in the city, Shankarpuram, is currently being sanitised after a sub-inspector on leave tested positive for the virus. "The Shankarpuram police station has not been sealed off, it is being sanitised after a police sub-inspector tested positive," Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rohini Katoch Sepat told IANS. Currently, the infected inspector has been shifted to a designated hospital in Dharwad as he is on leave. "Seven policemen have been sent to institutional quarantine and another 11 to home quarantine," she said, following the incident. The inspector is suspected to have picked up the infection somewhere as he took leave for his wedding and was busy making arrangements for the occasion, such as shopping and other works. He was also not suspected to have been in contact with anybody in specific when he was at the station on duty. "We assume that during his preparation for marriage and going here and there, he has contracted the virus. We don't know exactly. He was never on any specific bandobast," she said.

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CM Yediyurappa has breakfast at MTR to reassure citizens as lockdown lifts

Unlock 1.0

The state hotel association appreciated the gesture but noted that more work needed to be done to support restaurants.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Courtesy: CMofKarnataka twitter handle

After weeks of staying indoors due to the nationwide lockdown, Bengaluru residents are slowly starting to step out of their homes once more. Perhaps in an effort to reassure citizens who are still weary of returning to normalcy, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa visited MTR (Mavalli Tiffin Room) on Lalbagh Road for breakfast on Saturday morning. The Chief Minister was joined by Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya at the eatery, which serves tiffin items such as idli, vada, dosa and filter coffee. Restaurants have been allowed to open with certain restrictions from June 8 onwards, but many residents are still hesitant to step out. Cases of coronavirus are continuing to climb throughout the country as well as in the state. Karnataka has reported 6,516 cases of coronavirus to date. The state capital Bengaluru has had 617 cases so far. Many eateries across the city have reported significant challenges in continuing their operations after the lockdown left many in the lurch. Darshinis, Bengaluru's ubiquitous eateries that are spread across the city, have similarly struggled to stay afloat. Malls have also seen lower footfall as they have opened to the public for the first time in weeks. While some have said they are unable to pay rent, others have faced staff shortage issues as the lockdown forced many migrant workers to travel back to their native states. In order to function, eateries are tasked with following a number of new regulations to minimise the chances of spreading the coronavirus. Some restaurants have affixed plastic divisions on tables to maintain physical distance norms, such as in Vidyarthi Bhavan. All restaurants have said that they are maintaining hygiene by keeping track of staff temperatures, making sure they wear gloves, masks, and regular disinfection of all surfaces. Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar has said that the number of COVID-19 cases will likely peak in August this year, according to experts who studied the spread of the virus. Read: The struggles of Bengaluru's Darshinis during lockdown – and the long road to recovery Chandrashekar Hebbar, the Karnataka Pradesh Hotels and Restaurants Association (KPHRA) president, told TNM that while the Chief Minister's visit to MTR is a good gesture, more work will be needed to support restaurants and help them get back on their feet. He noted that Yediyurappa should have visited a smaller eatery, rather than a popular chain restaurant. “[The Chief Minister] should not have gone to a high-end hotel like MTR. In such a hotel, one masala dosa is Rs 100. He should have instead gone to a middle-class place, which most middle-class people go to, and should have set an example in that way.” Chandrashekar also laments the lack of support from the government. “We’re struggling, and we are unable to pay high rents. We had asked the government for an interest free loan of Rs 5 lakh for a period of 2 years to tide over the crisis. But we have not gotten any response from the government.”

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Fans dismayed as Kannada serial ‘Magalu Janaki' abruptly ends

Television

Due to lockdown restrictions, the shoot was not progressing.

TNM Staff

The last episode of the popular Kannada TV serial Magalu Janaki aired on Friday night with director TN Seetharam confirming that this marks the end of the show as it could not continue due to COVID-19 related restrictions on shooting. "Due to COVID-19, we haven’t been shooting for Magalu Janaki after the lockdown was imposed. This serial started two years ago in July 2018. The way the audience received this show was unprecedented. I have made many TV serials, and audiences have watched them with interest and excitement. But the viewers and the artists who worked on the show considered Magalu Janaki to be a daughter of their own homes," TN Seetharam said in a video aired after the completion of the last episode.  The show aired at 9:30 pm on Colors Super and was also available on Voot. It had recently introduced a coronavirus-related storyline as well through a news broadcast announcing the lockdown as the characters on the show reacted to the developments. Friday's episode was the 470th episode of the soap opera which was aired on weekdays for the last two years since July 2018. "I thank the audience that discussed this show with so much love. I thank Colors Super and the group and the artists who I want to apologise to too. There are a few things related to the plot that we cannot complete unfortunately. Even though artists are ready, we have had to stop it," Seetharam said.  "There were new ways of telling stories in Magalu Janaki and it was unlike what I did before this. This took on another dimension on topics like father-daughter and mother-daughter relationships," he added.   Seetharam is a prominent Kannada film and TV serial director. He has directed TV serials like Mayamruga which aired on DD Chandana in 1998 and Manvantara which aired on ETV Kannada in 2001. He is also the director of the long-running courtroom drama Muktha.  Magalu Janaki has been one of the most popular Kannada TV serials. A fan page started on Facebook dedicated to the TV show has over 55,000 members discussing the developments on the show. The show's dedicated fan following shared their dismay at the news of it going off air without a satisfactory ending to the plot. I never miss a serials directed by #TNSeetharam, his story telling is completely different with law/court room scenarios. Felt bad today bcoz #MagaluJanaki serial stopped due to COVID without an END. @ColorsSuper could have continued atleast this serial. Bad decision. — Akash R Patil (@ImAkashPatil) June 12, 2020 A sense of gloom has occupied the house as Magalu Janaki ends. — Rakshith ಪೊನ್ನಾಥಪುರ (@PonnathPuraaNa) June 12, 2020    

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