Now, this CM Ibrahim lambasts Siddu; praises Deve Gowda

Bengaluru, Jun 30: To instill confidence among its commuters, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has decided to put stamp on hand of all passengers before they are allowed to board the buses.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, The decision was taken in the wake of a sudden jump in the number of COVID-19 cases reported from Bengaluru.

The round stamp is, however, different from 'home-quarantine' stamp applied to infected and they were not allowed to travel. Officials said that the measure is aimed at reassuring passengers that those travelling with them do not have symptoms. The left hand will be stamped with an ink which can be washed away by the time they reach home.

Bengaluru, June 22: Even as the covid-19 positive cases are steadily increasing in Karnataka, an expert has claimed that community transmission has begun in Bengaluru and cases could keep rising over the next two months.

“If you look at the natural course of this virus across countries around the world, it is about six months. Now we’re in the fourth month. This will go on for another two months. It also sounds like this is the beginning of the peak. There is also a possibility of the number of cases going up from now on. Even across India, cases are increasing,” says Dr CN Manjunath, director of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research and State Task Force member.

Besides the increase in number of cases, the virus is advancing silently, stealthily. A lot of people who are testing positive are asymptomatic. In areas like Padarayanapura, Nanjangud and many places in north Karnataka, there have been positive cases who have not had any contact with infected individuals. Some cases recorded in Bengaluru over the last two to three days have not had any contact with Covid-positive people.

Dr Manjunath adds: “We are in community transmission. This will happen because nature is ahead of everything. We have to take all possible precautionary measures at our command. This has to happen. Only then some kind of herd immunity will be developed.”

“We are expanding the guidelines of testing to include a large number of people to be tested. Now, according to the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines, only symptomatic Influenza like Illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI), or a person coming in contact with an infected person are being tested.

But since we have crossed 100 days in Karnataka from the first reported case and we’re getting cases with no travel history or contact with a Covid-positive person, we have to start random testing across the sub-group population. Only then will we understand the burden of the disease and what precautions need to be taken,” he says.

Udupi, Jun 16: A young software engineer died on board a bus bound for Udupi’s Kundapura from Bengaluru due to suspected cardiac arrest this morning.

The deceased has been identified as Chaitanya (25), son of Vishnu Murthy, a resident of Kumbri in Koteshwar in Kundapura taluk. He was working for a software firm Bengaluru.

Chaitanya had boarded a ‘Durgamba’ bus from Bengaluru at 9 pm on June 15. At around 6.30 am on June 16, he called his father and informed that the bus had reached Barkur.

When his father called Chaitanya again at around 7.30 am, the bus driver answered the call and told him that his son had fallen ill and been taken to Vinaya hospital in Kundapur.

Vishnu Murthy rushed to the hospital, but was informed by the doctors that Chaitanya was declared brought dead.

A case has been registered at Kundapura police station. Even though it is suspected that he died of cardiac arrest, the exact cause will be known only after the post-mortem.