Bengaluru, April 25 The Karnataka government is all set to strictly impose Covid guidelines in the state against the backdrop of fear of Covid's fourth wave as cases rise in Bengaluru and elsewhere, Health Minister K. Sudhakar said on Monday.
After attending the high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, he said that the Covid infection in Bengaluru is increasing and steps would be taken to contain the situation.
"The Covid positivity rate touched 1.9 per cent in Bengaluru. The situation needs to be monitored in the city and necessary instructions are being given. The people in the state will have to compulsorily wear masks. They won't be fined if they are not wearing masks now. Guidelines in this regard would be released soon," he said.
Those who are not been administered the vaccines will be at risk, the Minister said. "We don't know yet which Covid variant has affected patients. The samples have been sent for genomic sequencing. It will be known whether this is a new variant or the old one," he said.
Everyday 10,000 tests are being conducted, he said. "We are looking forward to the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Chief Ministers and the message. Presently, restrictions will not be imposed. It is opined that severity of the disease is less in the fourth wave," he said.
"In the meeting chaired by CM Bommai, a few things have been decided on a few things. Wearing a mask is mandatory in interior and crowded places. There will be tele-monitoring of foreign passengers from high-risk countries," Sudhakar said.
However, Health Department sources revealed that the government is seriously bothered about the evolving situation in Karnataka, and authorities are insisting on harsh decisions to defuse the fear of a fourth wave in the state.
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