The Karnataka government issued a mask mandate for closed spaces and air conditioned rooms given the recent surge of coronavirus cases in China and other countries. India, on Friday, reported 163 new COVID cases and three deaths.
The government has also decided to conduct mandatory testing of Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) in the state.
“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,” State Health Minister K. Sudhakar said at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
The two per cent random testing of international passengers arriving in the state will continue until they receive revised directions from the Centre, Sudhakar said.
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.
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.
With agency inputs.
(Edited by : Ayushi Agarwal)
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