New Delhi: In the wake of new COVID-19 concerns across the country and fears of a possible fourth wave of the pandemic, the Karnataka government announced on Monday that wearing face masks and maintaining social distance will be mandatory.
The decision was made during a meeting led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, which included top ministers, officials, and the COVID-19 technical advisory council, comprising of specialists, to assess the situation in the state amid fears of a possible fourth wave.
"Masks should be worn compulsorily, especially at places where there is a crowd and in indoor places, social distancing has to be maintained. Guidelines will be issued today to this effect. We have not taken any decision regarding imposing any penalty immediately," Health Minister K Sudhakar was quoted by PTI in its report.
After the meeting, the minister told reporters that the number of positive cases has slightly grown in Bengaluru, where the positivity rate is 1.9 per cent, and that the situation would be watched and overseen, with treatment guidelines if necessary.
"On April 27, the Prime Minister will be holding a video conference with Chief Ministers and Health Ministers of all states, where more guidance and information may be shared. After that, we will hold another round of meeting here and further measures, if required, will be taken," he added.
The minister noted that, according to the World Health Organization, health difficulties such as hospitalisation and ICU care are more common among the unvaccinated, and that the number of persons who have received the prophylactic dosage (third dose) is low, and that more people would need booster shots.
"People above 60 years are being given the preventive or third dose for free. Don't wait for the next wave, take the preventive dose and protect yourselves," he advised.
Acknowledging that countries such as South Korea, Thailand, and Japan have seen an increase in cases, Sudhakar said that passengers arriving directly from these countries will be closely monitored at airports, with their personal information and contact numbers collected, and they will be telemonitored at home.
In answer to a query, the minister stated that Omicron BA.2 sub-lineages are appearing, but it would be impossible to determine which variant is common until an official report from the INSACOG lab is released.
"They (lab) have collected samples for genomic sequencing and we may get a report in two to three days," he said, noting that if the samples are Omicron sub-lineages, the symptoms will be similar.
Sudhakar answered a query by saying that the state follows the Centre's standards for testing people who are symptomatic, citing an average of 10,000 COVID tests every day.
In terms of the severity of the infections, he said the state government had obtained information from other states such as Delhi, where there are no major issues and the rate of hospitalisation or those requiring ICU care is low, whereas, in foreign countries, hospitalisation is higher in a few places, possibly due to a low rate of vaccination.
In response to a query, Sudhakar stated that the instructions on wearing masks and keeping social distance apply to everyone, including the general public and political parties, and that they must be obeyed in the interest of public health.
On Sunday, Karnataka reported 60 new COVID-19 cases but no fatalities, bringing the total number of infections in the state to 39,46,934 and the death toll to 40,057.
(With PTI Inputs)