Kasaragod medical college: Academic block nearing completion; hospital block work set to begin

Bengaluru, Apr 21: Karnataka cabinet on Monday decided to continue the COVID-19 lockdown measures currently in force in the state till May 3 without any relaxation, Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister J C Madhuswamy said.

However, leaving a window open, it authorised chief minister B S Yediyurappa and the COVID-19 Task Force to meet in three or four days to review and take further decision about any relaxation, he told reporters.

"Today cabinet has decided it (the norms) will be extended up to May 3... there will be no relaxation and the situation that that exists as of today will continue," he said.

Pending the cabinet decision, chief secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar had on Sunday issued fresh orders directing the continuation of the stringent lockdown measures issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs till the midnight of April 21.

Meanwhile, five new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Karnataka, taking the total number of infections in the state to 395, the Health department said on Monday.

"Five new positive cases have been reported from last evening to this noon... Till date 395 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed. This includes 16 deaths and 111 discharges," the department said in its mid-day situation update.

All the five fresh cases are from Kalaburagi and contacts of patients who have already tested positive.

Four of them are men of age 17, 13, 50 and 19, and one woman aged 30.

Bengaluru, Jun 12: All the four candidates, including former prime minister H D Deve Gowda (JDS), and senior Congress leader Mallikarjna Kharge, on Friday were declared elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka.

Karnataka Assembly Secretary sources here said that all the four candidates, who were in the fray for as many berths, were elected after the last date of withdrawal of candidature ended on Friday.

Wayanad, Apr 21: Panic gripped residents of Mananthavady and Mepaddi regions of the district after several cats in the region were found dead.

A group of people approached authorities after which the Animal Husbandry Department tested samples from the carcasses and found that the cat deaths were caused by Feline Parvovirus, which does not transmit to humans.

Speaking to ANI, Dr D Ramachandran, Chief Veterinary Officer, Wayanad said that Feline Parvovirus affects cats and vaccines are available to protect cats and keep the virus at bay.

"There were incidents of cat deaths in Mananthavady and Meppadi region of Wayanad district creating panic among the local residents. The officials of the Animal Husbandry department visited the spots for epidemiological investigations. The samples were collected and sent to the State Institute of Animal Diseases, which confirmed that the deaths were due to Feline Parvovirus. There is no need to worry as this virus does not spread to humans," he said.

A cat owner in Meppadi said that within a span of two-three days, over 13 cats had died in the region.

"We are afraid of these sudden cat deaths amidst coronavirus outbreak. We have informed the Health Department and Animal Husbandry department. Officials came here and collected the samples," she said.