Covid red alert in districts bordering Kerala: Karnataka CM
Karnataka wants Centre to ban flyers from 3 ‘Omicron’-hit countries: Bommai
BENGALURU:
Stringent precautions have been taken in border districts of the state to prevent and control the spread of the Covid pandemic, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said here on Sunday.
An increase in positive cases has been noticed among paramedical staff and students who have arrived from Kerala. Hence, stringent precautions are being taken in Dakshina Kannada, Madikeri, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru districts bordering Kerala. Speaking to media persons, the CM said those arriving from Kerala must carry an RT-PCR negative report and should be fully vaccinated.
Referring to the Covid variant Omicron, Bommai said the new variant has been reported in South Africa, Hongkong and Botswana. “The World Health Organisation has issued an alert about the new strain of the virus. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too has issued guidelines to prevent and control the new variant. However, no cases of the new strain have been reported in Karnataka,” he said.
College containment zones
As for the spike in Covid cases reported in student hostels in Dharwad, Mysuru and Bengaluru, Bommai said these hostels and colleges have been declared containment zones.
“We have requested the Centre to ban arrival of passengers from the 3 countries which have reported the new strain,” Bommai said.
ಇದನ್ನೂ ಓದಿ: ಗಡಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸೋಂಕು ನಿಯಂತ್ರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಕಟ್ಟೆಚ್ಚರ
Replying to a question about a booster dose for frontline health workers, the Chief Minister said the state government has already written to the Centre seeking permission to administer a booster dose.
Decision on NY celebrations
On the question of New Year celebrations, the CM said, “A suitable decision will be taken in the next few days, depending on the situation.” Covid guidelines have been issued for campaign meetings for the Legislative Council elections. “The state has 80 lakh doses of the vaccine and about 91% of the eligible population has been covered for the first dose, while a target of 70% for the second dose by December-end has been set,” he said.
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