COVID-19: 5 more test positive in Karnataka

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Bengaluru, March 24 (IANS) Five more people, including a woman from Bengaluru tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday morning, raising the total cases to 38 in Karnataka, an official said.

"Between 2 p.m. on Monday and 8 a.m. on Tuesday, five more new cases have been confirmed in the state," a health official told IANS.

Among the five new cases, three are men and two women.

A 32-year-old man from Kasargod, Kerala with travel history to Dubai arrived in Mangaluru on March 20 and tested positive for coronavirus as the 34th case in the state.

"The case is directly quarantined and isolated from the airport to the designated hospital in Mangaluru," said an official statement.

A 40-year-old Uttara Kannada district resident with travel history to Dubai returned to India on March 21 to emerge as the 35th case. He is currently being treated at a designated hospital in the district.

Similarly, a 65-year-old man from the same district travelled to Dubai and returned to India via Mumbai on March 18. He took a train to Uttara Kannada and tested positive as the 36th case.

He is undergoing treatment at a designated hospital in the district.

Karnataka's 37th case is a 56-year-old woman from Chikkaballapura. She was a family member and a fellow passenger of the 19th and 22nd cases with travel history to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

She returned to Chikkaballapur via Hyderabad and is isolated in designated hospital in Chikkaballapura.

The 19th case was a 31-year-old man from Chikkaballapura with travel history to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He returned to India on March 14.

Karnataka's 22nd case was a 64-year-old woman who visited Mecca with her son, who also turned positive before her as 19th case.

The mother-son duo travelled to Gowribidanur, Chikballapur on March 14 via Hyderabad. They landed in Hyderabad and proceeded to Hindupura on train and reached Gowribidanur on March 15 by bus.

The final case from Tuesday morning and 38th case in the state is a 56-year-old Bengaluru resident, a contact of the 13th case who is currently isolated in a city hospital.

"Out of 38 cases detected and confirmed in Karnataka so far three cases are transit passengers of Kerala who have landed in airports in Karnataka. The details of their itinerary after arriving in Karnataka will be provided," said the statement.

Meanwhile, the government constituted 50 home quarantine enforcement squads in Bengaluru city and its urban areas, consisting a driver, private vehicle and a team of Ayush doctor and police with wireless phone.

The teams will be led by deputy commissioner of police Isha Pant.

"As and when complaints are received from the neighbours or general population about the person or contact who has been stamped but violated the home quarantine guidelines and found freely roaming in the locality or shops and hotels will be approached by the squad and the said person will be apprehended," said the statement.

An FIR will be registered against the violators and will be shifted to the nearest mass quarantine facility.

Thus far, three home quarantine violators were apprehended and isolated, a woman roaming at Lakshmidevamma Block and two returnees from Australia at Ulsoor Main Channel Road.

The shutdown order in nine select districts has now been expanded to the whole state from Tuesday till month end, requiring all business and commercial establishments to be shutdown, except essential services.

"In view of the increasing trend of coronavirus cases, the government of Karnataka by its order number HFW 54 CGM 2020 on Monday has issued notification closing down all the business and commercial establishments in the entire state of Karnataka," said the statement.

The order applies to all the 30 districts and BBMP area except the exhaustively listed essential services which will continue to function.

--IANS

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