Spike in COVID-19 cases: Karnataka CM to hold meeting with officials, health experts

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has convened a meeting of officials and health experts on Monday in the wake of a spike in COVID-19 cases in the state in recent days, his office said.

The meeting would be held at 5 PM in the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of state legislature and secretariat, the Chief Minister”s Office said in a statement on Sunday.

For the first time since January 22, the daily COVID-19 cases in the state crossed the 900 mark. It reported 921 cases with 630 of them from Bengaluru Urban district alone.

Since Monday last, over 4,300 new cases have been detected in the state, whose cumulative COVID-19 tally stood at 9,59,338 including 12,387 deaths and 9,38,890 discharges.

The active cases, which hovered around 4,000-5,000 last month, touched 8,042 active cases, reflecting the rise. In the wake of a spike in cases in the state, the government on Friday had put a cap on the number of people who cam gather at events and celebrations like marriages.

Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Jawaid Akhtar in a circular has said the measure has been taken amid the emergence of new clusters and fear of a second wave of the pandemic.

As per new rules, 500 people will be allowed at marriages if it is an open space, and only 200 if it is a hall or a closed space. Similarly for birthday celebrations, the limit would be 100 and 50 respectively for functions in open and closed spaces.

A similar cap has been specified for funerals. However, at cremations and burials, only 50 are allowed. A maximum of 500 people will be allowed for religious and political gatherings in open spaces.