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Karnataka govt mulls tough rules as COVID-19 cases breach 1,000-mark

Bengaluru is in Red Zone, says minister R. Ashoka

Medical staff of M.S. Ramaiah hospital in Bengaluru wearing PPE and gloves pose for photographs on New Year's eve | PTI Medical staff of M.S. Ramaiah hospital in Bengaluru wearing PPE and gloves pose for photographs on New Year's eve | PTI

The Karnataka government is likely to impose fresh restrictions in the state in the wake of a sudden spike in fresh COVID-19 cases. On Sunday, Karnataka recorded 1,187 fresh infections and six deaths taking the cumulative cases and fatalities in the state to 30,09,557 and 38,346 respectively.

The government has already imposed night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am till January 7 in order to check the spread of the disease.

"We will convene a meeting and announce some tough rules before January 7 when the night curfew will be lifted," Karnataka Revenue Minister R. Ashoka told reporters. He said a government panel on COVID-19 in which he, Higher Education Minister Dr C.N. Ashwath Narayan and Health Minister Dr K. Sudhakar are part of, would convene a meeting before January 7.

The expert committee will brief Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on the measures to be taken.

"We will implement the recommendations of the committee in toto because we have seen the sufferings and deaths last time," Ashoka said. He asserted that the government will not leave any loophole this time in terms of oxygen supply, availability of beds or medicines.

The minister said Bengaluru is in the Red Zone according to the list declared by the Union government. “It is important to sound an alert in Bengaluru. We can save people's lives if we impose more restrictions in Bengaluru and reduce the number of hospitalisations," said the minister.

It was after a gap of nearly three months that the state witnessed over 1,000 daily COVID-19 cases on Saturday. Of the 1,187 new cases reported on Sunday, Bengaluru Urban contributed 923 infections and three deaths.

Other districts too registered fresh cases, including 63 in Dakshina Kannada, 54 in Udupi, 20 in Mysuru, 12 each in Belagavi, Tumakuru and Kodagu and 10 in Mandya.

The state's positivity rate for the day was 1.08 per cent and the case fatality rate was 0.5 per cent.

With PTI inputs

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