Cong, JDS urge Karnataka govt to impose 15-day lockdown in entire state

Mysuru, Mar 15: The renowned Mysore Palace will remain closed for tourists for a week from March 15 to 22, in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Mysore Palace committee said on Saturday.

The Karnataka government has ordered shutting down for a week all places and activities where people gather in large number including swimming pools, shopping malls, schools, colleges and cinema halls, state Health Minister B Sriramulu said amid the coronavirus threat.

This comes after Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa chaired an emergency meeting with ministers and senior officials on Friday to discuss the situation.

Earlier, schools in the state had announced early summer vacation for their students this academic year as a precautionary measure. Other public places have been shut down in the state amid the coronavirus scare.

The central government had on Thursday said that the death of the 76-year-old man from Kalaburagi in Karnataka was confirmed to be caused due to co-morbidity while he was also tested positive for COVID-19. The man visited Saudi Arabia on January 29 and returned to India a month later on February 29.

Till date, India has reported two deaths and 84 confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. The virus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year has spread to more than 100 countries worldwide, infecting over 1,30,000 people.

Kalaburgi, May 27: Karnataka's Kalaburgi district recorded a maximum temperature of 44 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, as per information provided by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

In light of the increasing mercury levels, people here were seen consuming sugarcane juice and cold drinks to beat the heat. Animals and birds could also be seen searching for water for relief from the scorching sun.

Locals of the area requested the district administration to take necessary actions such as spraying water on roads, in order to bring down the temperatures.

"We are facing huge heat waves in this district from the past two days, and even the temperature is around 44 to 45 degrees on a daily basis. So, it is a very alarming situation in Kalaburgi. When we move around the city, we are unable to find water and fresh fruit juice, and even if fresh juice is available, we are afraid of getting infected by COVID-19," said one local.

"If we carry cold water, it gets warm within half an hour, and gets unfit for drinking, and it is tough for us. I request the district administration to look into this matter and do the needful such as spraying water on the roads, etc. for slightest relief," he added.

Bengaluru, May 5: A 62-year-old woman from Vijayapura succumbed to coronavirus infection on Tuesday, taking the COVID-19 death toll in Karnataka to 28, a health official said.

The state has registered eight more COVID-19 cases in the past 19 hours, increasing the count of such cases to 659, the official added.

"Positive case 640, 62-year-old female resident of Vijayapura died on Tuesday due to cardiac arrest," the health official said.

Admitted to a designated hospital''s ICU on Sunday, the woman was also suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Bronchial Asthma (BA) and complained of breathlessness.

Among the eight fresh cases that emerged in the state, four were contacts of earlier cases, two with Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and one with travel history to Uttarakhand.

The health department is also tracing the contact history of a 30-year-old woman from Bengaluru Urban.

Incidentally, no new cases emerged from Davangere as 22 cases rocked the district on Monday.

Among the new cases, Bengaluru Urban contributed 3, followed by Bagalkote, 2, Ballari, Dakshina Kannada and Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada, 1 each.

Of the new cases, six are men and two women.