Karnataka government likely to extend night curfew

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday, said that even though the Covid-19 cases have increased, there would be a status-quo in control measures till April 20- the last day of the proposed night curfew in the right cities/towns.

He added that the night curfew will be expanded to other district and extended beyond April 20.

Yediyurappa said, “But a final decision on how long, and to how many other districts we will extend the night coffee will be decided on April 20.”

On Friday morning, the chief minister held an emergency meeting with medical officials, BBMP and other bureaucrats to discuss the rapid surge in cases.

At the meeting, the CM was presented with many ideas on the controlling of infections including the possibility of a weekend curfew or increasing the timeline for night curfew. However, before issuing a final order on April 20, Yediyurappa is likely to put forward all these points for discussion in the all-party meeting which is to be held on April 18.

Meanwhile, health minister, K Sudhakar said the meeting also discussed about ensuring the stability of state health infrastructure by asking corporate hospitals to join nearby hotels for mild Covid cases to be shifted there, increase the production of oxygen and storage capacity by purchasing jumbo cylinders and prohibiting the stay of none serious cases in hospitals after 14 days period.

He said, “We have urged the private hospitals to tie up with at least 10 nearby hotels to treat mild and moderate symptom patients.”

Sudhakar added that apart from the government and private medical colleges which contribute 5,000-6,000 Covid beds, the government has tried to make around 3,000-bed temporary hospitals in the hotels and other places.

To track those people who are in home quarantine, the government has decided to rubber-stamp those homes, deputing government officers to every hospital to check admissions and also providing 400 ambulances for transporting patients to the hospitals.

Sudhakar said, “We have also decided to hire 49 Shradanjali ambulances to transport the dead and provide free cremation to those who died of Covid-19.”

In the meantime, home minister, Basavaraj Bommai organised a meeting of police officials to discuss the measures to control the spread of the virus.

The home department would discuss about setting up of RT-PCR testing booth at the borders of the state for swab collection of all those people who enter Karnataka.