Karnataka Covid tally crosses 16k with record 1,272 new cases

Bengaluru, Jul 10: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has quarantined himself at his personal residence after three persons posted at his official residence 'Krishna' tested positive for COVID-19. The Chief Minister, who held a cabinet meeting and also visited Karnataka's largest COVID-19 care centre on Thursday, has cancelled all his engagements scheduled for Friday.

In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, Yediyurappa said that he was healthy and will continue to work from his residence. The Chief Minister will remain in home quarantine till next week as protocol mandates. Three persons -- an electrician, a standby driver and a pilot vehicle staffer -- have tested positive for COVID-19.

"Since a few staff at my official residence Krishna have tested positive for COVID19, I will be working from my personal residence for the next few days. I will hold meetings, consultations and issue orders and suggestions via video conferencing. There is no need to worry. I am healthy. I appeal to everyone to take all precautionary measures and follow protocols issued by the government. Wear masks and ensure social distancing and help us contain COVID19," a statement from the Chief Minister said.

Mangaluru/Udupi: A total 237 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Dakshina Kannada (DK) and Udupi on Sunday, a day that DK scaled yet another peak with 196 cases and Udupi tallied 41. 

The grim reaper came calling on patients with co-morbidities, harvesting five souls, to take the total tally of deaths in DK to 46. The spurt also saw DK’s tally of positive cases rise to 2,230 and Udupi’s to 1,608.

The 196 fresh cases in DK included 91 cases of influenza like illness (ILI), the cause of infection in 57 people is yet to be known, 20 are primary contacts, 16 are those with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI), 10 are those with international travel history and two are pre-surgery samples, said deputy commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh. The five deceased include three men and two women, the youngest victim being a 50-year-old man and oldest a 72-year-old man.

A total 94 patients were discharged from the designated Covid-19 and private hospitals in the city, taking the total number those discharged to 876, and paring down the number of active cases to 1,309. The commissioner of Mangaluru City Corporation, tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Sunda. Deputy Commissioner (revenue), MCC, a primary contact, has home quarantined himself in the wake of this development.

In neighbouring Udupi, the double-digit blip on the Covid-19 radar included 32 primary contacts, six with inter-district travel history, two with inter-state travel history and one patient with international travel history, said district health officer Sudhir Chandra Sooda. The fresh cases also included four children. The discharge of 28 patients took the total numbers of those discharged to 1,273, and there are 332 active cases now. The district has recorded three deaths due to the pandemic thus far. 

Riyadh, July 6: The government of Saudi Arabia has announced health protocols to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in the 2020 Hajj season, banning gatherings and meetings between pilgrims.

Saudi Arabia decided in June to limit the number of domestic pilgrims attending the Hajj to around 1,000 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, after barring pilgrims abroad from the rite for the first year in modern times.

Touching the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam, will be banned during the Hajj this year, and a social distancing space of a meter and a half between each pilgrim during the rituals including mass prayers and while in the Kaaba circling area will be imposed, a statement by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) elaborated.

Also, access to holy Hajj sites at Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat will be limited to those with Hajj permits starting Sunday July 19 till Aug. 2 2020, and wearing masks all the time will be mandatory for both pilgrims and organisers.