A B Ibrahim transferred; K G Jagadeesha is new DC of Dakshina Kannada

Kochi, Mar 30: Kerala High Court, while hearing a petition filed against Karnataka's decision to block the border with Kerala, on Monday said that no lives should not be lost in the name of fighting coronavirus.

Kerala High Court also said that "the current problem should be resolved amicably. Both the Union government and the Karnataka government should rise to the occasion."
The Central government has informed Kerala High Court that the movement of goods and medical services qualify under essential services, which is permitted despite the lockdown, and added that directions have been issued to give priority to the movement of such goods and services.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka government has sought a day's time to clarify their stand.

The matter will be taken up for further hearing via video conference tomorrow.
Kerala government has submitted that the action of Karnataka government to close the border is illegal as all the national highways in the country come under the jurisdiction of the National Highway Authority.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Rajmohan Unnithan has also approached the Supreme Court seeking directions to open the Karnataka-Kerala border to allow movement of ambulances and other emergency vehicles for the transport of essential items to Kerala.

Bengaluru, Mar 27: In a preparatory measure to tackle any exigency in the backdrop of spread of coronavirus, the Karnataka government has asked district administrations to use as quarantine centres the residential schools and hostels that come the under Social Welfare department.

"Wherever necessary, these residential schools and hostels can be converted as quarantine facility without any extra cost by the district administrations," Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol said in a statement.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka stood at 55, including two deaths and three discharged persons, as on Thursday.

Karjol, who is also the Minister in-charge of Social Welfare department said, in view of holidays for educational institutions, there were no students staying in the residential schools and hostels and hence they can be used for quarantine purpose.

All the residential schools at hostels in districts and taluks are spacious and have all required facilities like rooms, kitchen, toilets, bathrooms, libraries among others, the Minister said adding most of them were located away from densely populated areas.

Bengaluru, Jul 2: Karnataka government has issued a show-cause notice to 18 private hospitals for refusing to admit a 52-year-old patient with influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms, who later died.

According to the notice dated on June 30, a 52-years patient named Bhawarlal Sujani died after he was denied admission by 18 private hospitals.

The patient was taken to these hospitals on Saturday and Sunday for admission on observing some ILI like symptoms. But none of these hospitals admitted in on the pretext of unavailability of bed/ventilators, read the notice.

This is a clear violation of providing medical assistance and admission necessitated under the agreed provision of KPME Registration. They should strictly adhere to the provisions under Sections 11 & 11 A of KPME Act 2017. Private Medical Establishments cannot deny/ refuse/ avoid treatment to patients with Covid-19 and Covid-19 like symptoms, the state Health Department said.

By denying the admission to the deceased patient, your hospitals have violated the provisions of the above-said act. You are liable for legal action in this regard, as per the notice.

The state Health department asked the hospitals to reply as to why action should not be initiated under the relevant Acts.