No fresh COVID-19 case, says Karnataka govt

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Friday said no new COVID-19 case was reported in the state where 15 people have tested positive for the virus, including one death, even as it decided to shut bars and pubs for over a week from March 21 as part of precautionary measures.

The government also wanted all employees of IT and BT companies, except for those discharging essential services, to work from home. Aimed at social distancing to control the spread of coronavirus in the state, the government has asked all hotels and restaurants in corporation limits to provide food parcels (takeaway) to customers for pickup from Sunday morning, instead of serving it in the vicinity.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said bars and pubs will be closed from Saturday evening till March 31. According to the health department, no fresh coronavirus cases were reported on Friday. All positive cases are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, it added.

“At all hotels and restaurants in corporation limits of the state, only their kitchens will be open to prepare food, and customers can purchase food as parcel (takeaway), because as number of people sit at hotel there may be chances for coronavirus to spread,” Yediyurappa told reporters.

“At the time of crisis, hotel owners should cooperate by providing food parcels to customers, and should not misuse the opportunity,” he added.

The Chief Minister also requested people to observe “Janta Curfew” on Sunday.

Calling for “resolve and restraint” to fight coronavirus, Prime Minister Modi on Thursday asked the country to observe ”Janata curfew” on Sunday.

Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said confirmed COVID-19 patients have tested negative and recovered after treatment.

“By Monday to Wednesday, five people can be declared completely negative and they can be discharged, following government of India protocol,” he added. During a video conference with heads of IT-BT and Start-Up Companies, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan said: “Regarding working from home, many of the offices have not taken this advisory, even now many employees are working from respective offices…

We dont want to issue an order for them to work from home. We want them to do voluntarily,” Ashwath Narayan, who also holds IT-BT portfolio, said.