Karnataka makes face masks mandatory in closed spaces, AC rooms; Covid tests for flu symptoms

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Bengaluru,
Dec
22:
The
Karnataka
government
on
Thursday
decided
to
conduct
mandatory
testing
of
Influenza
Like
Illness
(ILI)
and
Severe
Acute
Respiratory
Illness
(SARI)
in
the
state
amid
a
spurt
in
COVID-19
cases
in
some
parts
of
the
world,
including
China.

The
government
also
decided
to
make
face
masks
mandatory
in
closed
spaces
and
airconditioned
rooms.
The
two
per
cent
random
testing
of
international
passengers
arriving
in
the
state
will
continue
until
revised
directions
from
the
Centre,
state
Health
Minister
Dr
K
Sudhakar
said,
as
reported
by
PTI.

“We
are
going
to
issue
advisory
to
wear
masks
in
indoor
locations,
closed
spaces
and
air-conditioned
rooms.
Also,
there
will
be
mandatory
testing
of
ILI
and
SARI
cases
across
Karnataka,”
Sudhakar
said
briefing
reporters
after
a
meeting
chaired
by
Chief
Minister
Basavaraj
Bommai
on
COVID-19.
The
meeting
was
attended
by
ministers,
health
department
officials
and
the
members
of
the
Technical
Advisory
Committee
(TAC)
on
COVID-19.
Sudhakar
said
that
it
was
also
decided
in
the
meeting
to
open
dedicated
Covid
wards
in
all
district
hospitals
with
sufficient
beds
and
supply
of
Oxygen.

There
will
also
be
a
coordination
with
private
hospitals
and
super
speciality
hospitals
for
reserving
beds
to
treat
Covid
patients
as
existed
during
the
peak
of
COVID
a
year
ago,
he
added.

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Serum
Institute
seeks
Centre’s
approval
for
Covid-19
vaccine
Covovax
as
booster
shot
for
Adults

In
view
of
fresh
outbreak
of
COVID-19
in
countries
like
China,
the
state
government
decided
to
review
its
preparedness
and
the
measures
to
be
taken
to
check
any
such
occurrence
in
the
state.

The
government
decided
to
set
up
special
camps
across
Karnataka
to
improve
the
booster
dose
coverage
from
the
existing
20
to
60
per
cent
within
a
month.
In
this
connection,
the
state
will
coordinate
with
the
Centre
for
additional
stock
of
booster
doses.

In
order
to
check
its
readiness,
the
government
planned
to
hold
drills
in
all
government
and
private
hospitals
to
test
the
condition
of
oxygen
generators,
supply
networks
and
the
functioning
of
oxygen
cylinders.
All
samples
from
positive
patients
are
to
be
sent
to
the
labs
for
genomic
sequencing.