Karnataka to open schools in districts where Covid positivity rate is below two percent

It also decided to delegate powers to manage COVID-19 to the district authorities instead of taking a statewide call on restrictions and lockdown.

The government came up with district-specific plans as the Technical Advisory Committee on COVID-19 was of the opinion that the second wave was not over.

‘We cannot formulate a statewide COVID-19 management plan. It should be district-specific,’ Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters after chairing a meeting with the experts, ministerial colleagues and officers.

He said the decision on restrictions will be taken based on the positivity rate in the district concerned.

According to Bommai, the experts expressed concern that the positivity rate was not dipping and lingering between 1,600 to 1,800 cases per day. Towards the end of the first wave, the cases had come down to 300 cases a day, he explained.

‘We have to prevent COVID-19 because this disease is still around. Since the cases are still remaining between 1,600 and 1,800, we need to be careful,’ he said.

It was decided in the meeting to increase vaccination and testing in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Mysuru, Hassan, Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, and Bengaluru Rural.

Further, the testing and vaccination should be increased in the villages up to 10 km inside Karnataka from Kerala and Maharashtra borders, which are witnessing a spurt in cases.

Testing should also be increased in Bengaluru, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Ballari, Bidar, Koppal, Haveri, Vijayapura, Tumakuru and Chikkamagaluru, the chief minister said.

The government also decided to set up six genome testing labs in the next three weeks in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Kalaburagi and Belagavi to track the new variants.

Regarding vaccination, the chief minister said as of Saturday four crore people have been vaccinated. The state has a stock of about 15 lakh vaccines while it will receive 30 lakh by the month-end.

‘We are demanding more vaccines. Next week I am going to meet the union health minister. We are getting 65 lakh vials every month, which should be increased to one crore. If that arrives, we can vaccinate all the districts,’ Bommai said.

About Bengaluru city, he said he said bed and ICU facilities should be increased for children. He noted that the positivity rate is 0.75 in the city.