After the detection of two Omicron cases in Karnataka on Thursday, the state government today issued fresh guidelines, mandating one lakh Covid tests every day. The government also mandated Covid tests upon arrival at the airport for all international passengers, and fliers cannot leave until their test reports come negative.
State revenue minister R Ashok said they are also keeping ready oxygen and ICU beds that were used during the second wave earlier this year. This apart, networks of oxygen supply are also being readied, and medicines, vaccines are being stocked up.
“Two cases of omicron have been identified, and across the world, it is about 400. So far, no study on this variant, but unofficially, we know it is not severe in symptoms, no deaths so far,” said the minister, adding, “We are going to write to the central government and ask for an expert report on this.”
Ashok said they’re setting up a control room again and would hire the required staff for it. Besides, the state government has stressed vaccination by making double doses of the vaccines compulsory for everyone to enter malls, cinemas or even for parents sending their kids to schools.
The guidelines were announced by Ashok at a press briefing after a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai with health and Bengaluru civic body officials.
The state government, in the new guidelines, also banned programmes in schools and colleges till January 15, 2021, and at weddings, a maximum of 500 people are allowed.
At the briefing, the minister said that police would investigate and find out the culprits who helped the South African man, who tested positive with the Omicron variant, to go back. The 66-year-old man is a South African national, who landed in Bengaluru on November 20 and left for Dubai a week after submitting a negative test report from a private lab.
The minister also said that 10 international passengers have been reported ‘missing’. “Our police will trace and test them by tonight,” he added.
CM Bommai had yesterday said his government would issue fresh guidelines in the wake of the detection of the two Omicron cases, and that they’re ready to fight the challenge. “We are ready for it. The state is careful and on alert regarding tracking and testing,” the CM had said at News18 India Chaupal.
The Centre yesterday said that all the Omicron-related cases were found to have mild symptoms so far. “In all such cases in the country and across the world so far, no severe symptom has been noted. WHO has said that its emerging evidence is being studied,” said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry, at a press briefing.
(With inputs from Deepa Balakrishnan)
Read all the Latest India News here
Comments
0 comment