8,800 booth-level teams to monitor cases in Bengaluru
Guidelines framed for home quarantine, funerals of victims: Minister
BENGALURU:
Following a meeting if the state Covid task force at the Vidhana Soudha on Friday, detailed guidelines were released for home isolation of asymptomatic cases and funerals of Covid victims.
Speaking to the media, Medical Education Minister Dr.K.Sudhakar said local management will be strengthened for effective monitoring and surveillance of Covid cases. Booth-level task force committees will be the basic structural and functional unit for Covid management. These committees will include BBMP or municipal staff in urban areas and gram panchatyat staff in rural areas. There are about 8,800 electoral booths in Bengaluru city and each booth will have a task force committee. A nodal officer has been oppointed for the purpose.
‘India better off’
Dr.Sudhakar said India has only 13 deaths per million population compared to 197 in the US. The recovery rate is also high in India at 60%. The recent drop in recovery rate in Bengaluru is due to the addition in active cases in the last few days. The mortality rate in Karnataka is 1.5%, the minister said.
Going forward, asymptomatic cases and people with mild symptoms below 50 years will be kept under home isolation if they meet the criteria mentioned in the guidelines. A centralised system is being created for allocation of beds in hospitals and a nodal officer has been appointed to oversee it. Dr.Sudhakar said detailed guidelines for home isolation and funerals of Covid victims have been prepared.
Dr.Sudhakar urged people not to panic and to visit fever clinics if they have symptoms. 400 ambulances will be deployed in the city and tele-consultaion facilities will be made available. Strict legal action will be taken against those who violate home isolation guidelines and funeral guidelines, he said.
