Anant kumar Hegde’s convoy accident: Probe ordered

Mangaluru, Jul 16: Streets in Mangaluru wore a deserted look as the city woke up to the first morning of the seven-day lockdown on Thursday.

The lockdown is being observed after the state government announced it as a necessary step to combat the spread of COVID-19.

The week-long total shutdown came into effect in the Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district from 8 pm on July 15 till 5 am on July 22.

The state government allowed relaxation between 8am to 11 am for purchasing of essential commodities. A slight rush was observed during the hours of the relaxation.

Karnataka has so far reported 47,253 positive COVID-19 cases, including 27,859 active cases and 18,466 recoveries.

So far, 928 people have lost their lives due to the infectious virus in the state.

Bengaluru, Jun 12: The Central government has identified Karnataka's Udupi and Yadgir among the "emerging districts of concern" for COVID-19 in the country. Confirming the development, a top official of the state health department said, "they (centre) had reviewed these two districts a few days back...there was a sudden spurt of cases due to Maharashtra returnees turning positive." Sources said union cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba, during a recent video conference with state chief secretaries and health secretaries, had shared his thoughts on the issue.

According to the information shared, districts with more than 400 cases, half of which was reported post-May 18 lockdown relaxation, have been identified as "emerging districts of concern." They are concentrated in the seven states/union territories of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana. "Udupi and Yadgir from Karnataka, along with Gurugram in Haryana and Kolhapur in Maharashtra have 90 per cent of the cases recorded after May 18," they said.

As on June 11 evening, Udupi had a total of 969 positive cases, out of which 619 are active, while 735 positive cases have been reported in Yadgir, out of which 626 are active. The two districts had reported a total of only 11 cases each as on May 18. While Udupi till last evening had seen 349 discharges, it was 108 in Yadgir.

Both districts have reported one COVID related fatality so far. As of June 11 evening, cumulatively 6,245 COVID-19 positive cases were confirmed in the state, which included 72 deaths and 2,976 discharges.

Riyadh, July 6: The government of Saudi Arabia has announced health protocols to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in the 2020 Hajj season, banning gatherings and meetings between pilgrims.

Saudi Arabia decided in June to limit the number of domestic pilgrims attending the Hajj to around 1,000 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, after barring pilgrims abroad from the rite for the first year in modern times.

Touching the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam, will be banned during the Hajj this year, and a social distancing space of a meter and a half between each pilgrim during the rituals including mass prayers and while in the Kaaba circling area will be imposed, a statement by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) elaborated.

Also, access to holy Hajj sites at Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat will be limited to those with Hajj permits starting Sunday July 19 till Aug. 2 2020, and wearing masks all the time will be mandatory for both pilgrims and organisers.