Karnataka government has announced the closing of the state’s border in an attempt to prevent and contain the coronavirus pandemic.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Sunday announced the sealing of the borders with six states to prevent the movement of people from across states and potential transmission of COVID-19.
Karnataka shares its borders with Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Goa. It will not see vehicular movement except for the supply of essentials, as per the order.
Although no information has been put out on the timeline, the border sealing will continue for long.
‘All domestic passengers will also be screened along with international passengers,’ Yediyurappa said after an hour-long meeting with his cabinet and Dr Devi Shetty of Narayana Hrudayalaya.
The Chief Minister has also asked people in the cities to avoid panic-travelling to their hometowns or villages as it would lead to infections spreading across borders to the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
He said that the 1700-bed Victoria Hospital will be converted into a dedicated COVID-19 hospital, while a 24/7 ‘war room’ will be set up in Bengaluru to coordinate efforts. He also informed of the setting-up of a task force to coordinate state and district level efforts.
‘We will shift the existing patients to other hospitals and keep Victoria hospital to handle coronavirus affected patients only,’ Yediyurappa said.
Karnataka government has also decided to postpone the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations for 10th standard students in the wake of the outbreak. The exam was to be held from March 27 to April 9.
The government also announced that ration for the next two months will be given in advance as part of the relief measures taken by the state government.
Yediyurappa said Karnataka hopes to have more testing labs with an aim of screening at least 200 people per million.
As on Saturday, reportedly, 1377 people in the state had been tested for the virus.
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