As border closure hits medicine supply, three activists in Mangaluru turn Good Samaritans for Kerala patients

Mangaluru, Mar 14: In a bid to prevent the coronavirus spread in the city, Mangaluru City Corporation on Saturday disallowed the street vendors to continue their business activities until further notice.

MCC Commissioner Shanady Ajith Kumar Hegde, in an order released today, warned that any vehicles, carts or trolleys that would be seen violating the order will be towed away.

The development comes in the wake of state wide ban on all shopping malls. In Mangaluru too all the malls remained shut today.

Bengaluru, Apr 11: The coronavirus-driven lockdown will continue for another 15 days, but relaxations will be allowed in a graded manner, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said after a four-hour-long video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

“Agriculture and industrial sectors will be given relaxation. Government offices will be allowed to work with partial strength. But the PM said detailed guidelines will be issued in two days,” Yediyurappa said, briefing reporters. 

“Importantly, the lockdown for the next two weeks will be different than how it was in the past three weeks. The Centre, keeping in mind economic activities, especially agriculture, industry and employment of labourers, the Centre will tell us what needs to be done,” the CM said.
 
According to Yediyurappa, PM Modi told all chief ministers that the next 2-3 weeks will be critical. “The next few weeks will decide whether or not we have succeeded. If the situation worsens, we have to face the crisis,” Yediyurappa said, quoting Modi. 

Apparently, Modi sought details on the COVID-19 situation from 12-13 states where the situation is grave. “He did not take a report from Karnataka,” Yediyurappa said. “This morning, seven new cases were reported in the state, taking our tally to 214. Nationally, we were in the third place; we’re now 11th,” he said, hailing the efforts of officials involved in fighting the pandemic. 

The CM said it was “inevitable” to continue the lockdown for another 15 days. “But for citizens to get essential supplies, there’s no bar on them going by walk alone. Also, we will see to it that agricultural activities are not affected anywhere,” Yediyurappa said.

Bengaluru, May 27: A 69-year-old woman from Yadgiri became the 45th COVID-19 related fatality in Karnataka, where 122 fresh cases have been reported, taking the total number of infections in the state to 2,405, the health department said on Wednesday.

With 45 deaths and 762 discharges, there are 1,596 active coronavirus cases in the state, the department said in its mid-day bulletin. It said, the deceased woman, a returnee from Maharashtra was brought dead to designated hospital in Yadgiri on May 20 and tested positive for COVID-19.

Fourteen patients have been discharged in the state so far on Wednesday. Of the 122 new cases, 108 are returnees from neighboring Maharashtra, three from Tamil Nadu, and one each from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Delhi. While two are returnees from foreign countries- one each from UAE and Nepal.

Remaining four cases are contact of patients earlier tested positive.

Among the districts where new cases were reported, Kalaburagi accounted for 28, Yadgiri 16, Hassan 15, Bidar 13, Dakshina Kannada 11, Udupi 9, Bengaluru Urban 6, five each from Uttara Kannada and Raichur, Belagavi 4, Chikkamagaluru 3, two each from Bengaluru Rural and Vijayapura, and one each from Ballari, Mandya and Tumakuru.