Bengaluru, Jul 4: Amid the rising COVID-19 cases in the state, the Karnataka COVID-19 Task Force has decided to set up booth-level committees across the state including 8,800 here for effective monitoring and surveillance.
The task force also released detailed guidelines for home isolation for asymptomatic cases including 17 days ''home isolation'' for patients below 50 years of age. It also warned of legal action against those health workers for disrespect to the bodies.
Briefing reporters after the meeting on Friday, Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said the local management will be strengthened for effective monitoring and surveillance of COVID-19 cases. "There will be booth-level task force committees throughout the state right from the village to Bengaluru.
These task force committees will act at the ultra local level. The task force will act as a structural and functional unit of COVID-19 dealing with monitoring, surveillance, checking of all the ILI cases, ambulances and hospitals," he added.
He also said the committees will comprise one member each from the Health department, police department, municipalities or Panchayat, volunteers, valveman. The committee will have five to six members.
The principal secretary in the Village Development and Panchayat Raj department L K Ateeq has been appointed as the nodal officer to manage the task force in the rural areas whereas in the urban areas, the Urban Development secretary, the municipal administration directors and the municipal commissioner will form the local task force.
"In Bengaluru alone 8,800 teams will be formed, which will be coterminous with the 8,800 booths in the city. They will provide the real-time data. They will be imparted training," the minister added. Noting that there were about 8,800 electoral booths in Bengaluru city and each booth will have a task force committee, he said a nodal officer has been appointed to oversee this.
The state level task force also came out with a slew of conditions. As far as home isolation is concerned, it would apply for patients who are below 50 years and have no symptoms of any other disease, and their homes should have a toilet and have an attendant.
He also said home isolation duration has been increased from 14 to 17 days. "People should not get fever in the next three days after completing 14 days, else they will be quarantined for another seven days. If they don''t get fever then they will be freed to perform their personal activities," Sudhakar said.
Those who are above 50 years and have comorbidities, will be treated at the COVID care centres only and they will be under medical supervision and be subjected to regular tests. The state is also making arrangements for telecommunication for those who are asymptomatic but wish to speak to a doctor.
It was also decided to have at least two ambulances in each of the 198 wards of Bengaluru. The minister said the additional commissioner of police (traffic) will be the nodal officer to coordinate the movement of ambulances. The task force has also appointed a nodal officer to manage the hospitals based on the availability of beds and ventilators. The officer will provide real time information about beds.
"We want to make sure that no one has to run from one hospital to another," Sudhakar said. On the cremation of the bodies, Sudhakar said guidelines have been issued on how to handle bodies at mortuaries, taking them in the ambulances, human treatment to the deceased while performing the last rites and fumigation of the bed. "Legal action will be taken against those who treat bodies in an inhuman way," Sudhakar said.
The state-level task force has also decided to arrange for test reports within 24 hours. It has also been decided to increase the testing capacity from the existing 15,000 a day to 25,000. In view of the spurt in COVID-19 cases, the task force also recommended antigen tests in crowded areas to check whether there was community spread.
To a question on closing down the border, the minister said there is no question of lockdown. "We cannot hide from this disease. It is not a solution. We have to live with it now, yet maintain a distance from it," he added. Sudhakar, who is a doctor himself, said COVID-19 is not as deadly a virus as those he had seen in the past and asked people not to be scared of it.
Making a suo motu statement in Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said Saudi Arabia has also agreed to provide free medical facility and food to the Indian workers stranded in camps and also allow those eligible to seek re-employment with other companies.
Comments
ASH Mangalore rightly said ...............HUNGRY IN KSA ? Impossible
Food is very very cheap in KSA
and No one allow you to be hungry if he is aware ....
Madam Sushma Swaraj done great job by sending delegates to Saudi Arabia. Thank you Sushmaji for your great work. We need woman like you to improve our great country India. Please ask other goondas and sanga parivars to stop attacking poor people of the country in the name of Cow.
Cow is an animal and no one will pray for that. It is created by God and it should not be god or Gomatha. Please try to understand the reality of the religion.
Madam you have done lot of good work in your tenure. This is my humble request please stop the attacker and bring the new judiciary of punishment for this attacker in name of Cow.
Hope take the initiative step soon madam.
There is misconception that Indians hunger in KSA. None here without food, those who created this mess only because company issue and pay issue. Wheat have subsidy in KSA and very cheapest in the world so none can hunger.
Appreciate Sushma's initiate but those who going back India will be trouble because no job secure and none will take care those who return to India. They have better life here than India.
People take credit through social media and no one will aware there after life who returned to India.
Thank you Sushmaji for your effort. Great work. India need more candidate like you.
Media is spreading lies about Saudi Arabia....In Saudi Arabia, you don't need to spend much money for food...within few riyals you get nice lunch with good pieces of beef...what a country....these stranded employees will find good jobs around....King gave them full freedom to choose companies and transfer their sponsorship....
A sign that cheddi govt and cheddi members never appreciate. and never do themselves big help which saudi govt did and I remember they do here many times to the stranded jobless expats.
Cheddi and their news liars should stop spreading lies and start praising the Good works which may not be in seen the parliament or in the news channels in the future days.
Alhamdullillah...
That's the decision of the king... the most generous king in the world. Can Indian govt expects such a generosity form any other govt in the world? Saudi has provided jobs to over three million Indians, who are sending home billions of dollar to India every year. Am truly inspired by this divinely inspired generosity.
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