Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday appealed to migrant labourers stranded in the state due to COVID-19 lockdown not to leave for their home towns and assured them work, as the state reported two deaths and 22 new cases.
With this the death toll in the state increased to 29; while the total number of infections surged to 673.
Meanwhile, the state is also bracing for the return of about 10,000 people from the state stranded abroad.
"I appeal to labourers with folded hands don't pay heed to any rumours, it is the responsibility of the government to see to that you get work at the place you were working... don't take hasty decision of going to your natives. Stay here and work, as in the past," the Chief Minister said pointing to easing of norms allowing construction and industrial activities in non-red zones.
This is the second appeal made by Yediyurappa to the migrant workers since last week and it came after a group of builders met him here amid fears of shortage of labourers.
The government had recently allowed one-time inter- state and inter-district movement of those stranded due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
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"As of 5 pm of May 5, cumulatively 673 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, it includes 29 deaths and 331 discharges," the health department said in its bulletin.
Out of 312 active cases, 306 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 6 are in ICU.
Ten patients who have recovered, have been discharged on Monday.
Two patients have died in the state, they are- 62- year-old woman from Vijayapura, who was a known case of COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and BA (Bronchial Asthama) and was admitted on May 3 to ICU of designated hospital in the district with complaint of breathlessness.
She died today due to cardiac arrest.
While the other is a 50-year-old woman from Davanagere with complaint of breathlessness (diagnosed as SARI) and died today at a designated hospital in the district.
Of the 22 new cases reported, 12 are from Davangere, three from Bengaluru urban, two from Bagalkote and one each from Ballari, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Haveri and Dharwad.
Among them 17 are contacts of patients already tested positive, two are with Influenza Like Illness (ILI), one each with travel history to Uttarakhand and Mumbai, while the other's contact is under tracing.
Contact tracing has been initiated and is in progress for all the cases, the department said.
"In March, Karnataka was in third place, today we are in 13th place...the average compounded daily growth rate of positive cases during the last five days shows- the national average at 5.97 per cent, while Karnataka's is 3.13 per cent," Minister S Suresh Kumar, who is spokesperson for COVID-19 in Karnataka told reporters.
From across the state most number of infections have been reported in Bengaluru urban with 153 cases, followed by Mysuru 88 and Belagavi 71.
Out of total 331 patients discharged so far maximum 80 are from Mysuru, 75 from Bengaluru urban, 26 from Belagavi.
A total of 83,806 samples were tested so far, out of which 4,613 were tested on Tuesday alone.
So far 78,860 samples have reported as negative, and out of them 4,196 were reported negative on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, in continuation to the Government of India decision on allowing Indian citizens to come back to country from abroad, the Commissioner Health and Family Welfare Services, Karnataka, has issued Standard Operative Procedure for handling international travelers landing in the state.
Health Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey said passengers may come through Bengaluru and Mangaluru airports and Karawar and Mangaluru sea ports in the state, where we will have large number of health screening teams.
Stating that following screening passengers will be divided into two sets, one symptomatic and other asymptomatic, he said, symptomatic will be taken to dedicated COVID health centres (isolation hospitals) and non-symptomatic will be taken to hotels or hotels of choice, where they will be quarantined on cost.
For both symptomatic and asymptomatic swab tests will done, he said, adding that an approximate list of 10,000 passengers has come from the Central government and the first set of passengers may land in the state on May 8.
The government has issued the notification on the regulations under 'Karnataka Epidemic Disease Regulation, 2020', making it mandatory on wearing mask and maintaining social distance.
It has fixed penalty of Rs 200 in Municipal Corporation area and Rs 100 in areas other than the Municipal Corporation areas.