From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Jan 11: A high-level meeting convened by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to review the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the State with senior government officials and members of the Technical Advisory Committee in the virtual mode at his private residence in RT Nagar in the City on Tuesday has decided to continue the restrictions clamped by the State Government till the end of January.
The daily night curfew and weekend lockdown restrictions imposed earlier in the State were to end till January 19.
The Chief Minister directed to strictly prohibit all public meetings.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr K Sudhakar, who is also in charge of Medical Education, Education Minister BC Nagesh, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, Chief Secretary P Ravikumar, Techncial Advisory Committee Chairman Dr Sudarshan Ballal and other members as well as senior government officials virtually participated in the meeting.
The meeting also decided that the Deputy Commissioners of the districts will be empowered to take a decision on ordering closure of the schools in their respective districts based on the Covid positivity rate and the reports of the Block Education Officers and Taluk Health Officers in view of the need to ensure the safety and protection of school children.
The Education and Health Departments were directed to jointly conduct general health check-ups of all students in the Schools across the State once in a fortnight.
The taluk as well as district hospitals have been asked to reserve Childrens’ Wards and ICUs for the treatment of Covid infected children.
The District Health Officers have also been directed to ensure sufficient stocks of the necessary medicines for the treatment of Covid positive children.
The meeting directed the Senior Police Officers and Deputy Commissioners to strictly enforce the Covid restrictions in all public places.
Strict vigilance during Festivals
With Makara Sankranti, Vaikunta Ekadashi and other festivals on the anvil, the meeting directed the Revenue and Muzrai departments to issue separate guidelines on the restrictions to be followed during the festivals in order to prevent the surge in Covid cases.
In view of the large number of infected people under home isolation during the Covid Third Wave, the meeting decided that special arrangements for monitoring the health of such people and also supply of necessary medical kits with medicines.
The triaging system shall be strengthened to decide on whether the people testing positive after testing need hospitalisation or not. The meeting also decided to enlist the services of House Surgeons and Final Year Nursing Students in the Home Isolation and Triaging system.
27 Covid Care Centres in Bengaluru
Given the fact that the Covid infection cases and those affected by the Omicron variant are more in Bengaluru, the meeting decided that 27 new Covid Care Centres shall be started in the city, the daily testing in the city was directed to be increased up to1.3 lakh within BBMP limits.
The meeting directed officials to ensure that large gatherings of crowds was prevented in markets and other public places.
