Police arrest prime accused in SDPI activist’s murder

Bengaluru, Mar 6: The Karnataka government has directed school authorities to grant leave to students and staff suffering from cold or fever in the light of renewed coronavirus (COVID -19) fears.

"If any student, teacher of staff is suffering from respiratory infections, they should be granted leave. They should be allowed to come back to school only after confirming from the doctor that they are cured. In case of a student or staff staying at hostels developing any symptoms, they should be kept in a separate room," said the government circular.

Aiming at containing the spread of coronavirus, Sriramulu said, "We have formed 1,680 isolation wards in private hospitals. Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister of the situation."

However, the Health Minister said no positive case has been recorded till now in the state.

"Tests are also being conducting on passengers arriving in Karnataka and all precautionary measures are being taken," said Sriramulu about the 40,000 people thermal screened at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in the city. Major private hospitals in the city have geared up to treat suspected cases.

Five Karnataka districts bordering Kerala -- Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Udupi, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru -- continue to be under surveillance after three positive coronavirus cases were reported in Kerala

The deadly virus has killed a total of 2,912 people in mainland China till Saturday, bringing the global death toll to more than 3,000, authorities said on Monday.

The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department is observing 461 people under home quarantine even as no positive coronavirus case has been reported from the state, an official said on Thursday.

"We are observing 461 people for Coronavirus symptoms at their residences, however, no positive case has emerged from Karnataka," said state Health Department's Joint Director, Communicable Diseases, Prakash Kumar.

The five people under isolated observation at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases continue to be so on Thursday as well. As many as 273 samples sent from the state for coronavirus testing reported negative.

In Karnataka, 68,717 passengers have been thermal-screened for the virus until now at Kempegowda International Airport in the city and Mangluru International Airport.

Another 5,103 passengers were also checked for the virus at Karwar and Mangluru seaports.

On Thursday, 16 people completed the mandatory 28-day observation period while a total of 225 people also underwent the same.

Karnataka is screening all international passengers and the state health department met the private sector hospitals to take stock of recent developments.

Bengaluru, Mar 13: Karnataka Health Department is planning to set up a separate hospital for COVID-19 so that the affected can be kept in quarantine at one place.

Presently, it is in the process of setting up separate isolation wards for COVID-19 cases at eight Bengaluru hospitals.

Minister for Medical Education K Sudhakar said on Friday that he has already discussed the idea of a separate facility for COVID-19 cases, so that those isolated, can be kept at a single location to contain the spread of the virus.

Bengaluru, Feb 19: Playing down the simmering discontent among the disgruntled legislators who missed a cabinet berth again, Karnataka BJP on Tuesday denied any revolt brewing against Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.

"An unsigned letter in Kannada circulating in the social media is bogus, as it was fabricated in the name of Santosh, a private secretary to Yediyurappa. No revolt is brewing against the Chief Minister," party spokesman G. Madhusudhana told news agency here.

In the second cabinet expansion on February 6, only 10 newly-elected legislators, who defected from the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) in July, were inducted, leaving the party's many aspiring lawmakers miffed.

"The talk of about 20 loyal MLAs ganging up against Yediyurappa is a speculation as rumour mills are working overtime. No rebellion is brewing against the Chief Minister," asserted the official.

On the charge that Yediyurappa's younger son B.Y. Vijayandra was acting like a 'super or de facto CM' and medalling in the state administration, Madhusudhana said the latter was only assisting his father in party activities as he was also a party worker.

"As Yediyurappa is 76 years old and ageing, Vijayandra is helping his father in party affairs so that he (Chief Minister) could be free to attend to administration," Madhusudhana said.

Yediyurappa's elder son B.Y. Raghavendra is a three-time BJP Lok Sabha member from Shimoga in the state's Malnad area.

With six cabinet posts vacant in the 34-member ministry, many legislators, including eight-time MLA Umesh Katti, are upset that they have not been rewarded for their loyalty to the party even six months after the BJP returned to power again in the southern state.

On the purported meeting of about 20 BJP MLAs at the residence of state Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar here on Monday, Madhusudhana said it was a "get-together" as they were all in Bengaluru again to attend the budget session of the state legislature which began on Monday.

"There is no crisis in the party. Our government is stable and will complete the remaining three-year term in office till May 2023," he added.