HC tells police to act against illegal slaughterhouses

Bengaluru, Feb 7: Karnataka's Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services on Thursday issued guidelines for testing, isolation, hospital admission and discharge in view of the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) in Wuhan city of China, a virus that has infected nearly 20,000 globally and has killed more than 500 in China.

According to the guidelines, the sample of any passenger, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, with a history of travel to or residence in Wuhan city of China in the last 14 days, has to be collected and tested.

And the sample of any health personnel, who develops symptoms of the virus after being associated with the infected persons, has to be collected.

The circular further says that the clinical sample of any suspect/probable case of nCoV will be sent to the laboratory confirmation and the case will be kept in isolation. If tested positive, the treatment has to be provided as per the existing guidelines.

The virus originated from Wuhan, a Chinese city, in December and has since then spread to various parts around the world.

China has imposed quarantine and travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities, amid fears that the transmission rate will accelerate.

Bengaluru, May 22: Police commissioner Bhaskar Rao on Friday said the next two Sundays will be ‘full curfew days’ and the city will be under complete lockdown between 7pm Saturday and 7am Monday.

Addressing the media, the top cop said all essential services will be excluded from the curfew. “People attending weddings and other ceremonies can travel. Those wanting to buy food products or medicines too can step out. However, like in lockdown 1.0, people found loitering unnecessarily will be punished,” he said.

According to Rao, city roads will be barricaded like how it was done during lockdown 1.0 and 2.0.

A senior police officer told TOI that during this period, vehicles could be seized under the Disaster Management Act-2005. “So, we request the public not to come out unnecessarily. If we find people roaming in vehicles, we shall seize the rides and owners will have to approach the court later to get them released,” he said.

The government has extended the lockdown till May 31, which includes two Sundays.
Earlier in the day, the state government allowed inter-state travel from Karnataka with the consent of the receiving state. Praveen Sood, Karnataka DG and IGP, said, “Inter-state pass is not required to go out of Karnataka as long as you have the consent of the receiving state. Due to the lockdown, migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons are stranded at different places. They would be allowed to move as usual.”

Hassan, Mar 14: Karnataka Health Department officials took help of the Police to get a man, who returned from pilgrimage to Mecca (Saudi Arabia), admitted to hospital as he refused to undergo clinical tests for suspected Coronavirus, official sources said on Saturday.

According to the sources, a family from Arkalgud taluk, who was on a pilgrimage to Mecca and Madina, returned on March 5 and the woman from the family developed fever and symptoms of flu.

On Friday evening, in view of the Coronavirus scare, a team of Health Department officials visited their house and directed them to get admitted to a hospital in Hassan for treatment.