No evidence of terror link: 10 Muslim youths released by Delhi police

Bengaluru, Mar 23: The Karnataka government on Monday decided to purchase 1,000 ventilators from medical devices company Skanray Technologies and five lakh Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), amid rising COVID-19 cases.

Health Minister B Sriramulu convened a meeting with officials to review the situation in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, and with the Mysuru-based firm through a video conference.

"In the meeting, it was decided to buy 1,000 ventilators immediately", the Minister tweeted.

He said the government has already taken steps to buy ten lakh masks, and decided to purchase five lakh PPE.

"The Health Department has been working on a war- footing to halt the spread of the (COVID-19) infections", Sriramulu tweeted.

The Minister appealed to the citizens to strictly follow social distancing.

Six new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Karnataka on Sunday, taking the total number of infections to the respiratory disease to 26 -- the highest number of positive cases in a single day in the State.

The Karnataka government has announced shutdown of all commercial activities barring essential services in nine districts, where COVID-19 cases have been reported, till March 31.

They are: Bengaluru city, Bengaluru Rural, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Kalaburagi, Dharwad, Chikkaballapura, Kodagu and Belagavi, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.

Udupi, Mar 25: Fearing Corona infection a 56-year-old man has committed suicide over in Udupi. 

The deceased has been identified as Gopalkrishna Madivala.

He was a KSRTC bus driver and was currently performing a duty to train new drivers.

He suspected his friend had contracted COVID-19 and as he had a close association with him, he feared he too will be infected and hence hanged himself on a tree.

Although symptoms of Corona infection do not appear to him, he left behind a death note which stated that he resorted to the extreme step over suspicion of having been infected by a corona trait of a friend. 

Recently, the first COVID-19 positive case in Udupi where a 34-year-old man has been tested positive.

A press release issued by the District Health and Family Welfare Officer on Wednesday said that the man had come from Dubai to Udupi district on March 18.

Since he showed symptoms of COVID-19, he was admitted to the District Government Hospital on March 23. His throat swab was sent for test and the preliminary report stated that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

Bengaluru, Mar 12: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwathnarayan on Wednesday said rumours that the state government has asked offices to remain closed tomorrow are false.

He clarified that the government has asked employers to explore the option of work from home amid the coronavirus scare.

"The rumours that the Govt has asked offices to remain closed tomorrow are false. We have asked employers to explore options of work from home for their employees. Let us be vigilant about this issue and not fall prey to any such rumours," Ashwathnarayan tweeted.

Meanwhile, Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi has cancelled all seminars, workshops or conferences in the premises in the wake of coronavirus spread.

"All the functions including seminars, workshops, conferences are to be cancelled. This is for urgent and necessary compliance," officials from the hospital said.