‘Reforms among Hindus, Muslims a must for communal harmony’

Bengaluru, May 1: Karnataka has reported 11 new cases of coronavirus, taking the State's count to 576, informed the Health Department on Friday.

Out of the total COVID-19 cases found in the State, 235 people have been discharged and 22 people have died.

"11 new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Karnataka from April 30, 5 pm till noon today, taking the total number of cases to 576, which includes 22 deaths and 235 discharges," said the State government COVID-19 bulletin.

Udupi, May 23: Issuing a stern warning to people against venturing out unncessarily 7:00 pm on May 23 and 7:00 am on May 25, Udupi deputy commissioner G Jagadeesh said that those who violate the lockdown norms will face punishment. 

“Lockdown should be observed strictly across Udupi district. If anyone is found roaming around, we will not speak, but our batons will”, he said in a press meet here today. 

He suggested the people to buy all necessary things for 36 hours of total lockdown before 7 p.m. today. 

Chief Minister has already clarified that a complete lockdown would be observed in the State on every Sunday. Only the medical shops, newspaper delivery, milk parlours will be permitted to function. Vehicular movement has also been restricted during this period, he said.

If marriages have been scheduled already on Sunday, they will be considered as a special case. However, prior permission is must for scheduled weddings, he said.

Udupi SP N Vishnuvardhan and ZP CEO Preethi Geholot CEO ZP were also present.

The government of India has added 141 more flights to West Asian countries for the second phase of Vande Bharat Mission, its massive repatriation programme for citizens stranded overseas because of Covid-19-related travel restrictions.

The second phase was to end on May 22. However, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the ongoing phase will last till June 13 and that India is looking at making Frankfurt a hub for the mission.

With these new flights, more than half of them to the United Arab Emirates, the total number of flights in the second phase of the programme have gone up to more than 400, people familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity.

The flights were added due to increased demand from citizens stranded in West Asian countries and the availability of adequate quarantine facilities in states for the returning Indians, the people said. As with all the flights operated so far under Vande Bharat Mission, priority will be given in the second phase to Indian nationals with compelling reasons for returning to the country, they added.

The additional flights are from the UAE (81 flights), Oman and Saudi Arabia (15 flights each), Kuwait (14 flights), Qatar (11 flights) and Bahrain (five flights).

A majority of the flights are bound for Kerala (84 flights), while the other destinations are Delhi (10 flights), Tamil Nadu (nine flights), Telangana (six flights) Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir (five flights each), Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh (four flights each), Punjab (three flights), Odisha and West Bengal (two flights each), Chandigarh, Karnataka and Goa (one flight each).

The other 260-odd flights being operated during the second phase of Vande Bharat Mission are from Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tajikistan, the UK, Ukraine and the US.

The second phase of the repatriation programme began on May 16 and will continue till June 13, with all the flights being operated by state-run Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express. Private airlines are likely to be included in the third phase.

As of Thursday, a total of 23,475 Indians have been repatriated under Vande Bharat Mission. The second phase had included new destinations such as Istanbul, Ho Chi Minh City and Lagos, and had increased flights to the US and Europe.

More than 259,000 Indians in 98 countries across the world have registered to return under Vande Bharat Mission. Most of them are workers (28%), students (25%), professionals (14.5%), and short-term visa holders such as tourists (7.6%). Fishermen, deportees and Indian nationals who benefited from visa amnesties have also registered.