Mysuru sessions court shut for sanitisation after lawyer tests positive for coronavirus

Coronavirus

The 40-year-old advocate tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday evening.

TNM Staff

The Principal District Sessions Court in Karnataka’s Mysuru city was closed on Wednesday after a lawyer tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The 40-year-old criminal defence lawyer was confirmed to have COVID-19 around 6 pm on Tuesday evening.  Speaking to TNM, Mysuru Bar Association President Anand Kumar said that the lawyer gave his swab samples after he showed symptoms of cough and cold. The Principal District Sessions judge, Raghavendra Husur, on Wednesday held a meeting via video conference with all the judges and office bearers of the Mysuru Bar Association to discuss the matter. There are over 50 court halls in the two buildings in the court’s premises. The affected lawyer had been to around 15 of these court halls for work and he last appeared in court two day ago. The judges and Bar Association members held a meeting today to discuss what should be done next,” Anand Kumar said. The Mysuru City Corporation has already begun sanitisation of the two buildings. The Mysuru Deputy Commissioner’s office is currently tracing all the lawyer’s primary and secondary contacts, who will be quarantined. “For two days, all employees of the court and even the policemen who provide security have been asked to stay at home. The lawyer came into contact with judges, desk clerks and also security personnel. The DC’s office has said that contact tracing would be completed in a couple of days. The judges decided in today’s meeting that all judges and desk clerks would have to get tested,” Anand Kumar added. He also said that the decision to get all the judges and desk clerks tested would be presented to Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G Shankar later on Wednesday, who will take a call. As of Tuesday evening, Mysuru had 210 COVID-19 patients lodged in isolation facilities and the district has reported a total of 12 deaths so far.

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Bengaluru has 3,181 active containment zones, south zone reports rise in cases

Coronavirus

The number of containment zones have shot up from 550 reported at the end of June.

TNM Staff

Bengaluru now has 3181 active containment zones in the city, according to the COVID-19 War Room bulletin issued by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Tuesday. The most number of containment zones are in the West Zone which has reported over 900 zones. Bengaluru's South Zone also has over 800 containment zones while the East zone has over 500 containment zones. The number of containment zones have shot up from 550 reported at the end of June. While the BBMP has not released a full list of containment zones, the bulletin specified wards which reported a high number of cases in the last 24 hours. 21 cases were reported in Shanthala Nagar ward which has reported a cluster of cases in the past week. 19 cases were reported in Chamarajpet ward in the West Zone while 15 cases were reported in Jayanagar. Hoysala Nagar reported 12 cases and Pattabhiram Nagar reported 10 cases. Wards which reported 5-10 cases were.-(Read as Zone, Ward Number, Ward Name) South: 119 - Dharmaraya Swamy Temple West: 105-Agrahara Dasarahalli South: 164-Vidyapeeta ward West: 120-Cottonpete South: 176-BTM Layout South: 134-Bapuji Nagar South: 142-Sunkenahalli South: 143-Vishveshwara Puram East: 114-Agaram RR Nagara: 17-J P Park Bommanahalli: 185-Yelchenahalli South: 178:Sarakki East: 112:Domlur Mahadevapura: 187-HAL Airport 26% of the cases reported in the last 24 hours were from the city's South Zone while 25% was from the city's West Zone.    1.33 lakh COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Bengaluru so far and the city has reported 11361 COVID-19 cases of which 9395 cases are active. 156 deaths were reported and 1810 patients infected by the virus have made a complete recovery.  

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Ex-CEO of Bengaluru bank found dead: Alleged suicide note found in car

Death

It was earlier reported that 70-year-old Vasudev Malya, who was found dead in his car, was accused of misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 1,400 crore.

TNM Staff

A day after the body of former chief executive officer of Sri Guru Raghavendra Cooperative Bank, Vasudev Malya, a note, purportedly written by Malya, was found in his car in Bengaluru. The police are currently probing a case of suspected suicide after the former CEO’s body was found in his car on Monday evening. However, the postmortem report is awaited to conclude any leads, The Hindu quoted Rohini Katoch Sepat, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South division), as saying. The postmortem was conducted on Tuesday and the note was recovered in front of the deceased’s family. The Times of India reported that the six-page note claimed that he was a ‘victim of circumstances’ and he explained his situation as the bank CEO and also mentioned the details of some transactions and the bank’s investments. The letter has been sent to the forensic laboratory. TOI added that his wife has identified his handwriting in the note. It was earlier reported that 70-year-old Vasudev Malya was accused of misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 1,400 crore and was recently raided by the Anti-Corruption Bureau. He was also under the radar of other probe agencies, like the Enforcement Directorate, CID (Criminal Investigation Department), RBI (Reserve Bank of India), and Registrar of Cooperative Societies as they were probing the bank’s working over alleged irregularities. If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.    Tamil Nadu State health department's suicide helpline: 104 Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)  Andhra Pradesh Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930 Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584 Karnataka Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222 Kerala Maithri: 0484 2540530 Chaithram: 0484 2361161 Both are 24-hour helpline numbers. Telangana State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104 Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200 SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm) Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.     24x7 Helpline: 9820466726  Click here for working helplines across India.

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Karnataka to deploy over 1,200 govt employees for COVID-19 contact tracing

Coronavirus

They have been asked to report to senior IAS officer Manjula, who heads a task force on COVID-19 contact tracing.

PTI

Representational image

The Karnataka government has deployed 1,246 employees from various departments for contact tracing of COVID-19 patients, with special focus on Bengaluru and surrounding areas, and warned of strict action in case of refusal to undertake the work. Noting that contact tracing was crucial in controlling COVID-19 spread, Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar in an order on Monday said as more human resources were required for this purpose, group A, B and C officials and workers from various departments have been deputed for contact tracing. They have been asked to report to senior IAS officer Manjula, who heads a task force on COVID-19 contact tracing. The move comes at a time when the state is witnessing a spike in cases and contacts of a majority of new patients are still under tracing. According to an analysis by Karnataka's COVID-19 War Room, of the 25,317 cases in the state till Monday, the source of transmission in 10,484 cases is still under investigation. The Chief Secretary's order said "Any disobedience in following this order will attract punishment under Section 56 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and other applicable laws. According to Section 56, anyone who refuses to perform or withdraws himself from the duties of his office shall, unless with written permission of superiors or for other lawful excuse, be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine.”

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Expert panel submits report on online classes to Karnataka govt

Education

Amid growing pressure by educational institutions to allow them to run online classes for the students, the government set up the committee headed by noted educationist M K Sridhar.

PTI

The expert committee constituted by the Karnataka government to look into imparting online education in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdown submitted its report on Tuesday to the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, S Suresh Kumar. Amid growing pressure by educational institutions to allow them to run online classes for the students, the government set up the committee headed by noted educationist MK Sridhar. The Minister told reporters that some schools wanted to run online classes, including for LKG and UKG students. It had also come to the government's notice that schools were reportedly charging hefty fees in the name of online teaching, he added. "To address the concerns of parents, schools, and the future of the children, the committee was formed," Kumar said. He further said that the government would study the recommendations and hold discussions with officials and various stakeholders before arriving at a decision. The Education department said that the committee, in its report, titled "Continuation of Learning in School Education of Karnataka: Guidelines During COVID-19 Pandemic for Technology Enabled Education and Beyond", has recommended teaching online or by using printed material. The committee suggested that children in the age group of three to six be taught online by way of story-telling, rhymes and games strictly in the presence of parents thrice a week just for one session a day. For students from class one to three, it advised two periods a day and three days a week for online teaching. Students from class three to five would have classes five days a week and two classes for 30 minutes a day. For students from class six to eight, there could be three classes a day for a duration of 30 minutes to 45 minutes each, while for students of class nine and 10 there would be four sessions a day between 30 and 45 minutes each. The committee also suggested usage of Doordarshan and Akashwani for the government school children. Suresh Kumar said there were a few petitions filed in the Karnataka High Court regarding online teaching to the children.

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Another Bengaluru man dies after hours in search for oxygen bed

Coronavirus

The man, who is yet to be tested for the coronavirus, died outside a private hospital in Bommanahalli.

Soumya Chatterjee

Representational image

The shortfall in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bengaluru was exposed once again on Tuesday morning as another resident in the city died in want of medical attention. The 55-year-old man suffered an undignified death as he was accompanied by volunteers of Mercy Mission, a voluntary organisation which supports the government in COVID-19 management. Read: Why Bengaluru’s private hospitals are turning away COVID-19 patients After crisscrossing the city for nine hours, the man eventually died outside a private hospital in Bommanahalli. He is yet to be tested for the novel coronavirus. Speaking with TNM, Nabeela Shah of Mercy Mission said she got a distress call from the family of the man residing in DJ Halli. The man was provided an oxygen cylinder by the organisation after he complained of breathlessness. “After I reached the man’s residence, me and others helping the man had to wait for 45 minutes to reach a person on the phone line and we could finally get an ambulance only after two hours,” she said. Frustrated with no ambulance showing up, the man’s son had already taken him in his car and tried to admit him in private hospitals near Shivajinagar. But all the hospitals they approached told them that they did not have the system to take care of the man as he was already in a critical condition. “After his son returned without any success, we were assured that a private hospital in Kengeri would have a bed. But sadly, when we reached, we were told that it was full. Despite our requests, they did not let us admit him in the emergency room,” Nabeela recounted. “We again got a lead that there might be a bed in Bommanahalli. By the time we reached the hospital, the oxygen cylinder had almost run out. Rather than allowing us inside, they did not allow him admission nor did they give us oxygen support. He died at around 4:30 am without any proper medical care,” she added. However, this is not the first time that patients had to spend their dying moments in an ambulance in Bengaluru or were forced to spend hours before being allotted adequate medical facilities.

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Bengaluru Mayor quarantines himself as assistant tests positive for coronavirus

Coronavirus

The Mayor’s office has been sealed for sanitisation and fumigation.

TNM Staff

Bengaluru Mayor Goutham Kumar and all the other staff members in his office have gone into home quarantine after his personal assistant tested positive for the novel coronavirus.  The Mayor’s office has been sealed and will be reopened after sanitisation and fumigation is completed. Deccan Herald reported that the Mayor’s PA might have contracted the infection from a civic contractor, with whom he had a detailed discussion.  The Hindu quoted BBMP Leader of Opposition Abdul Wajid as saying that a formal statement about the Mayor going into home quarantine was due for a long time. He said there was nothing wrong in clarifying suggesting there should not be any taboo regarding this. He cited the example of  Gandhinagar MLA (Members of Legislative Assembly) Dinesh Gundu Rao and his family went into home quarantine after two of his gunmen and staff tested positive. Meanwhile, on the same day, a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike officer of Joint Commissioner rank, and two other BBMP staff members have also tested positive. One zonal office of the BBMP was also sealed off after the staff members in the office also tested positive. As a result, a meeting that was to be held by Revenue Minister and Karnataka Disaster Management Authority Vice-Chairman R Ashoka was postponed, reported Deccan Herald.  BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar has now decided to stop the entry of the public into the BBMP headquarters temporarily till July 24. For complaints and feedback, a drop box will be kept at the entry gate of the head office and the Commissioner encouraged the public to use BBMP’s online platforms to raise issues. It may be recalled that Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar had also gone into home quarantine after members of his family tested positive.  Earlier, Shivaji Nagar MLA Rizwan Arshad had also gone into home quarantine after one member of his staff tested positive.  

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