Karnataka Health Minister Confirms Compulsory COVID-19 Spot Testing In Bengaluru, Appeals To Follow Safety Measures
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Karnataka, 9 April 2021 11:13 AM GMT
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In total, Bengaluru will have 8,500 booths and a task force team per booth. The teams will conduct door-to-door surveys on how many people above the age of 45 years have and have not been vaccinated.
Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar, in a press conference on Thursday, announced that for the first time, the government has made spot tests for COVID-19 compulsory in Bengaluru.
Sudhakar said, "I request the residents of Bengaluru to kindly cooperate when BBMP personnel who approach people saying that they need to compulsorily get tested. I say this because I have received reports of people fighting with the personnel saying they won't get tested."
He added that COVID-19 tests would be conducted in places where there were crowded gatherings such as pubs, restaurants, markets, railway stations and bus stations.
The Health Minister's announcement was part of several announcements to ramp up measures against COVID-19 in Bengaluru.
The compulsory spot tests are being done with the objective to increase the number of samples collected in Bengaluru to 1 lakh per day. This announcement was made last month by the Chief Minister, BS Yediyurappa.
There will soon be a task force at every booth level, which will conduct door-to-door surveys of people who are eligible for vaccines and those who are COVID-19 positive. The task force will consist of Karnataka Health Department and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officers as well as volunteers from various NGOs and residents, reported The NewsMinute.
In total, Bengaluru will have 8,500 booths and a task force team per booth. The teams will conduct door-to-door surveys on how many people above the age of 45 years have and have not been vaccinated.
Further, after conducting the survey, the teams will also get people who have COVID-19 symptoms tested and keep a watch whether they continue to stay in home isolation.
The team will also ensure the infected patients don't move around and check their vital parameters such as blood pressure and oxygen saturation.
Dr Sudhakar also said that the government was looking to trace 20 primary and secondary contacts of COVID-19 patients.
Sudhakar announced that after the Union government approval, special vaccination teams would be set up to inoculate people in their workplaces and apartments to increase the total number of vaccinations.
The Health Minister appealed to people to avoid gatherings for religious events, weddings and other places where crowds could form. He also said that the concerned authorities could take strict action and cancel licenses for businesses if they are found to be violating COVID-19 protocols.
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