Karnataka makes masks mandatory in public places, increases Covid testing

State govt tells revellers to end New Year celebrations before 1 am; Centre readies for mock drills today

The Karnataka government on Monday made masks mandatory in educational institutes, theatre and public places where crowds are likely to gather for New Year celebrations.

Its decision came at a time as the Centre readied states for a mock drill across health facilities on Tuesday to assess the country’s readiness in the event of another wave of Covid-19.

Taking the lead among states in terms of precautionary diktats, Karnataka has made masks mandatory at theatres, schools and colleges apart from closed places, air-conditioned rooms and crowded public spots. Besides, New Year revellers have to wear masks at pubs, restaurants and bars. State Health Minister Keshava Sudhakar said guidelines had been issued to end New Year celebrations before 1 am.

Karnataka has also increased Covid testing from 2,000-3,000 to around 4,000-5,000 tests. Karnataka will also be sending all the samples that test positive and report CT value below 25 for genomic sequencing to identify whether it is BF.7 — an Omicron sub-lineage that is believed to be behind the recent spike in cases across the world — or another sub-variant or sub-lineage.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya held a meeting with a select group of doctors and Indian Medical Association officials on Monday to assess the Covid scenario and gauge the country’s preparedness. “It is important to be alert and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, and refrain from spreading unverified information,” he said. The country is also seeing a surge in vaccination numbers, with more than 100,000 people administered doses on Friday and Saturday, against a range of around 50,000 prior to that.

Among the states, officials in Delhi have started visiting government hospitals to ensure there are enough beds, liquid medical oxygen, ventilators and other equipment. The state will also deploy teachers from government schools at the Delhi airport between December 31 and January 15, 2023, to ensure passengers are following Covid-appropriate behaviour.

In Tamil Nadu, the state health ministry said that all government hospitals were directed to ensure safety measures were in place. “Appropriate action should be taken to assess the testing requirement for the next six months and to procure sample testing kits in advance. Oxygen concentrators should be checked by biomedical engineers. Unused concentrators should be stored in a safe place. Oxygen cylinders should be kept ready for emergency use,” the health department said in a statement. The state has also taken steps to inspect the stock of essential items and medicines, including N95 masks, and PPE kits.

On Saturday, the Central government had said that RT-PCR tests would be made mandatory for people coming from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand.

Random Covid-19 testing has started at various airports across the country in the wake of rising cases globally, Mandaviya reminded on Monday.

Five foreign nationals, four of them from Thailand and one from Myanmar, have tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival in Bihar on a pilgrimage, according to state officials.

After a person who recently returned from China tested positive in Uttar Pradesh, state Health Minister Brajesh Pathak on Monday appealed to all those who have recently travelled to foreign countries to remain in home isolation until they get tested.

India saw a single-day rise of 196 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases have marginally increased to 3,428, according to health ministry data updated on Monday.

(With inputs from PTI)