Flight chartered by SAQCO brings stranded Kannadigas from Dammam to Mangaluru

Bengaluru, Mar 21: The news and public relations department, the Indian Red Cross Society and the Karnataka State Labour Studies Institute have invited volunteers for the programme to provide real-time information to people to avoid spreading rumours and misinformation about coronavirus.

This is an opportunity to join hands with the Karnataka government and fight coronavirus. These volunteers will be known as the "Corona Warriors", who will be entrusted with the job of monitoring social media sites to check rumours that are being spread across all taluks in the state. They will also take steps to provide proper information.

Applications are already being shared online and registered volunteers will be provided with appropriate training, security kits and identification cards at all district offices of the Department of Information and Public Relations.

At least four volunteers will work in four shifts per day in each taluk of the state. There are about 120 volunteers in Bengaluru city and about 3,000 Corona Warriors are expected to register from across the state. Over 400 volunteers have registered via online application on the first day.

Fifteen people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the state, said Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Friday.

Newsroom, May 5: Following the union government's nod, preparations are afoot to bring back Indian nationals stranded abroad from May 7 onwards.

According to sources, in the first phase from May 7- 14, the government would allow more than 60 “non-scheduled, commercial” flights to operate from about 12 countries to India to bring back 15,000 citizens. At least half of those flights will be from the Gulf region, including UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, while the rest would bring passengers from the U.S., the U.K., Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and Bangladesh.

The flights would be spread over 10 States identified as having the largest numbers to return, with Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Delhi (NCR) receiving the maximum number of flights.

A meeting held at the Ministry of Civil Aviation looked specifically at flights, mainly operated by Air India, while it awaits a final plan from countries where Indians need to be airlifted from. The first flights planned at present are from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh and Doha, flying directly to Kozhikode and Kochi.

While the full estimate of Indians needing to return home could cross ten lakhs (a million), with more than two lakhs having registered to return from the UAE alone, officials said their return would be “prioritised and staggered”.

Flight plan for return of Indian nationals stranded abroad:

Kalaburagi, Mar 16: Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner B Sharat has banned the sale of liquor and ordered the closure of bars and restaurants in the district until further orders in the wake of coronavirus scare.

On Sunday, Sharat said that the public gatherings including local markets, village fairs, Urs festival in Kalaburagi district have been banned.

"Gatherings including local markets, village fairs, Urs festival in the district have been banned as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus until further orders," Sharat said.

The Karnataka Health Department on Sunday said that all the family members and other contacts of the 76-year-old man who died of coronavirus in Kalaburagi are being monitored closely.

The state government has said that six cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the state as of now, including one person who died.

"Till date, six COVID-19 cases have been reported in the state including one death. The 5 Coronavirus positive cases are in isolation at the designated hospital in Bengaluru," the government said.