COVID-19: Karnataka High Court closed for sanitization work for a day

Coronavirus

Earlier the Mayo Hall court complex was shut down after a police constable posted there tested positive for coronavirus.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka High Court premises will remain closed and all judicial, non-judicial and administrative work will remain suspended on Tuesday due to COVID-19 sanitization work. Chief Justice AS Oka passed an order to this effect. IANS reported that the decision came after a relative of a High Court functionary tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday. “It is hereby notified to the Litigant Public/ Learned Advocates/ Party-in-person/ Officers and Staff of the High Court of Karnataka, Principal Bench, Bengaluru that, the Judicial/Non-Judicial/Administrative functions of the High Court of Karnataka, Principal Bench, Bengaluru is hereby suspended for one day Viz., on June 30th 2020 for sanitization of entire High Court Complex, due to unavoidable circumstances. By the Order of the Hon’ble Chief Justice,” said the closure notification issued by Rajendra Badamikar, Registrar General  of the HC. Earlier this month, the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court (the Mayo Hall court complex) in the city was sealed off for two days after a police constable working there tested positive for the novel coronavirus.  That time the Registrar of the Karnataka High Court had passed an order to close the court complex for the sanitization process. For the closure period all sorts of work were also suspended. The order had said only emergency cases would be heard by theThe Principal City Civil and Sessions Judge, Bengaluru through video conferencing. Earlier, CJ Oka had said that the HC will be closed down if lawyers fail to maintain physician distancing norms and crowd in courts. There have been instances of police stations being sealed off, with police officers and accused who are detained or arrested testing positive. The Central Crime Branch (CCB) office in Bengaluru was sealed for two days in mid-June. That time one of the accused who were brought into the station had tested positive.  Other police stations that were subsequently shut down for sanitization process include Cubbon Park, VV Puram Traffic, Shankarapuram and Kalasipalaya police stations. On June 21, alarmed by the high rate of infections among the police, Commissioner of Police Bhaskar Rao instructed all the 155 police stations to set up kiosks outside for public to register complaints to minimize contact. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2AgZhH1
via IFTTT

Turned away by 18 hospitals in Bengaluru, 52-year-old man with breathlessness dies

Coronavirus

According to the man’s family, several reputed hospitals in Bengaluru refused to admit him citing lack of beds.

Prajwal Bhat

PTI : Image for representation

A 52-year-old man in Bengaluru died on Sunday night, shortly after he was admitted to a hospital and put on a ventilator. The patient, a resident of Nagarathpet in the city, was experiencing shortness of breath for over a period of 24 hours prior to his death.   According to his family members, the 52-year-old was turned away by several hospitals before he was finally admitted to Bowring Hospital on Sunday night. While the family managed to arrange an oxygen cylinder on Saturday night, his samples for the COVID-19 test was collected by a private laboratory in Rajajinagar on Sunday morning.  Speaking to TNM, the victim’s nephew said that the family was refused treatment in 18 hospitals in Bengaluru over a 24-hour period. He also alleged that they had contacted around 32 other hospitals, which did not agree to accommodate the patient.  "For two nights, we were roaming in Bengaluru, going from one hospital to another. We begged and pleaded with many reputed hospitals to give us a bed but they turned us away, citing lack of beds. The authorities at Bowring Hospital asked us to wait until his coronavirus test results had returned before admitting him," said the nephew. The hospital finally admitted the 52-year-old on Sunday. However, the patient, who manages a garment shop in Austin Town, eventually died the same night.  '18 hospitals refused treatment' “My uncle developed breathing issues on Saturday evening and we took him to a private hospital after calling an ambulance. We were turned down because we had told the hospital that the patient is experiencing breathlessness. We went to three more hospitals and it was the same story. By Saturday night, we had visited 18 hospitals," said the nephew.  The nephew said that the list of hospitals they tried to reach included Sakra Hospital, Aster, Apollo, Manipal and Fortis Hospital.  "We decided to wait till the test results were back the next day (on Monday) but by Sunday evening, his condition started to deteriorate. We called an ambulance and began searching for a hospital again," says the nephew. According to the nephew, hospitals mentioned in the list of designated private hospitals for COVID-19 treatment also declined to admit the patient.  "We managed to convince the hospital authorities in Bowring Hospital on Sunday night to admit him since his condition had turned critical. He was taking a breath once in 20 seconds at the time. But within minutes of putting him on a ventilator, he passed away," he told TNM. 'No one should go through a night like this' The 52-year-old man’s death has once again turned the spotlight on the lack of beds available in hospitals in Bengaluru. "We are reporting this death in the media to make sure no one goes through a night like this. I know what it is like to have someone from the family in an ambulance and begging hospitals to treat them. You lose him in front of you and you cannot do anything. There is no humanity in this,"  the nephew said. The family is now waiting for the results of the COVID-19 test.  The family's ordeal comes at a time when Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa is trying to convince private hospitals to allocate more beds for COVID-19 patients.  Private hospitals and nursing homes in the city were directed to set apart an additional 2,500 beds for treatment of COVID-19 patients on Monday. However, the management of various hospitals, who held a discussion with the Chief Minister, said they were ready to set aside only 2,000 beds. 16 government hospitals and a number of private hospitals have been listed as designated COVID-19 hospitals in Bengaluru.  Incidentally, Bengaluru has been reported a spike in COVID-19 cases over the last three days with 738 (Monday), 783 (Sunday) and 596 (Saturday) cases. The victim’s nephew alleged that there were a limited number of beds available for patients with breathing ailments. "Private hospitals should allocate more beds for patients who need to be isolated. There should also be an application or a platform to access information on the number of beds available in hospitals," said the nephew.  The Karnataka government is currently developing an application which will help patients to find a hospital bed. However, the app will verify with the ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) database and allocate beds for only those who test positive for coronavirus. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/31qEPi1
via IFTTT

Bengaluru has 495 active containment zones now: BBMP

Coronavirus

On Monday, 738 COVID-19 cases were reported in Bengaluru, continuing the spike in cases in the city.

TNM Staff

There are now 495 active containment zones in Bengaluru, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) stated in its daily bulletin on Monday.  The civic body reported that as many as 55 containment zones have returned to normal.  The bulletin did not reveal the list of areas where containment zones have come up in the city.  Speaking to TNM, Hepshiba Korlapati, who is in charge of the BBMP's COVID-19 war room, said that the spike in cases in the city was largely reported in the same areas where cases were observed earlier in the city's south, east and west zones. On Monday, 738 COVID-19 cases were reported in Bengaluru, continuing the spike in cases in the city. In the previous two days, Bengaluru reported 783 and 596 cases. This prompted officials to announce a lockdown in the state on Sundays starting from July 5. The curfew in the state from 9 pm to 5 am was changed and it is now from 8 pm to 5 am every day.  Due to the spike in cases, BBMP is yet to map the location of over 2,000 patients in the city. The city's western zone with areas like Rajajinagar, Mahalakshmi Layout, Malleswaram and Chamarajpet, Govindarajnagar, Gandhinagar, with busy commercial areas has reported many cases, Deccan Herald reported. Malleswaram has reported 40 cases and Dasarahalli has reported 24 cases so far.  The containment zone is now restricted to just the house of the infected person in a change introduced by BBMP.  Bengaluru has so far reported 4,052 COVID-19 cases of which 3,427 are active cases. The city accounts for 91 of the 226 deaths reported among COVID-19 patients. Karnataka has reported 14,295 COVID-19 cases so far of which 6,388 cases are currently active. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/3ge78Vc
via IFTTT

Pandemic unleashes a spike in overdose deaths

The coronavirus threat put on hold a billion-dollar research program focused on new forms of addiction treatment.

from Health Care https://ift.tt/2VwTjJn
via IFTTT

House Democrats approve health bill, seeking contrast with Trump’s Obamacare assault

The vote was aimed at shoring up Democratic support in swing districts that fueled the party's House takeover in 2018.

from Health Care https://ift.tt/3eNM2wy
via IFTTT

Bengaluru reports 738 COVID-19 cases on Monday as spike continues

Coronavirus

The state health department's daily bulletin also stated that the 738 cases in Bengaluru accounted for 66.7% of the 1,105 cases reported in Karnataka.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka Health Department reported 738 new COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru on Monday, continuing the spike in cases in the city. The state health department's daily bulletin also stated that the 738 cases in Bengaluru accounted for 66.7% of the 1,105 cases reported in Karnataka.  This takes the total number of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka to 14,295 and the total active cases is now 6,388.  In the previous two days, Bengaluru reported 783 and 596 cases prompting officials to announce a lockdown in the state on Sundays starting from July 5. The curfew in the state from 9 pm to 5 am was changed and it is now from 8 pm to 5 am every day.  Bengaluru has reported 4,052 COVID-19 cases so far of which 3,427 are active cases. Nineteen deaths were reported in the state on Tuesday including 12 deaths in Ballari district, three in Bengaluru and one each in Hassan, Ramanagara, Bagalakote and Dakshina Kannada. The state health department reported eight of the patients had known comorbidities. Six deaths in Ballari were reported among patients without comorbidities and between the ages of 31 and 56. The deaths reported on Monday took the total number of deaths in the state to 226 including 91 from Bengaluru. Two hundred and sixty eight patients in Karnataka are currently in the ICU including 178 patients in Bengaluru.  A total of 176 people recovered on Monday.  Elsewhere, 76 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Ballari while Dakshina Kannada (32), Bidar (28), Uttara Kannada (24), Kalaburagi (23), Hassan (22), Vijayapura (22) also reported an increase in cases. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2ZjO8O6
via IFTTT

Spat on, intimidated: Neighbour alleges harassment by B'luru IPS officer’s family

Controversy

Vandana told TNM that she has spoken to the CIty Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao on the matter and has been assured of all assistance.

Soumya Chatterjee

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, a Bengaluru-based IPS officer’s family has been accused of abusing power. The concerned officer is Ajay Hilori, who is facing probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation for the IMA Ponzi scheme scandal since 2019. Incidentally, the IPS officer is currently undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at a city hospital.  In a Facebook post, Bengaluru-based lawyer Vandana Sudha Venkatesh alleged that the IPS officer’s wife abused her and spat on her. She further said that the family called the police on her. This happened after Vandana – who lives in the same building as Ajay Hilori’s family – made a complaint to the family about their child making noise.  “Today while I was on a call and I was getting distrubed by the loud screeching of the child, so I called his mother whom I could see two floors below me along with the child. I politely asked her if she could manage to keep the child’s voice a little low. And after that around one hour later, around eight uniformed police staff came and rang the bell. They started shouting that they would book me for child abuse and started shooting video of me without my consent,” Vandana said.  “They asked me how I yelled at a kid. This is when I lost my temper and shouted at them back stating that this was intimidation and they can't have eight policemen coming and threatening us. I also asked them which child abuse law they were going to book me under,” she added. Vandana said after an hour after the police left, she decided to confront Hilori's wife which is when the wife allegedly spat on her.  Vandana told TNM that she spoke with CIty Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao on the matter. “He was very receptive and said that the city police will help me and he will send an officer to my home to register a complaint,” she said. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/3iaW0df
via IFTTT