The Karnataka government has warned landlords and house owners against harassing doctors, nurses and other health care workers by forcing them to vacate their rented homes amid the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The government issued an order on Thursday, following several complaints of house owners forcing tenants, engaged in combating COVID-19, to vacate their rented homes owing to the fear that they worked among the high-risk groups and COVID-19 patients and would spread the deadly virus.
The health and family welfare department has directed the police department to take strict penal action against erring persons under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, and Hyderabad Diseases Act, 1950, for prevention and containment of COVID-19.
The government order states that such behaviour amounts to "obstructing public servants from discharging their duty", under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases (Covid-19) Regulations, 2020.
BMTC buses to ferry essential services personnel
The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation will ply 180 buses from Friday to benefit the essential services personnel like medical staff, police, civic agencies—like BBMP, BESCOM, BWSSB—and delivery boys and grocers. However, the passengers will need to produce the government identity card or the curfew pass issued by the police department to avail the service.
The bus crew will restrict the number of passengers to 20 in each vehicle.
The state and Central government employees, doctors, nurses, paramedics, ward boys, pharmacists, security guards, bank officials and blood donors need to produce only their department or office identity cards. The rest of the personnel will be required to procure a curfew pass in the prescribed format.
