COVID-19: Free inter-district bus for stranded; K'taka will have more recovered than active cases soon
Bengaluru, May 3 () Thirteen new cases of COVID-19were reported, taking the total number of infections to 614 inKarnataka, the government said, as it announced free busservices for three days from Sunday in a bid to help people,including large number of labourers, stranded within the statedue to lockdown.
Karnataka will have more recovered cases than activecases soon, top government officials said.
According to a bulletin by the state health departmentas of 5 pm on May 3, cumulatively 614 COVID-19 positive caseshave been confirmed in the state, it includes 25 deaths and293 discharges.
Out of 295 active cases, 292 patients are in isolationat designated hospitals and are stable, while 3 are in ICU.
Officials said, "in few days Karnataka will have morerecovered cases than active cases". With the gap between thetwo narrowing (just two short as on Sunday).
A total of 22 patients who have recovered, have beendischarged on Sunday.
Announcing free bus service, Chief Minister B SYediyurappa said the expenses will be borne by the governmentand appealed to the people to make use of the opportunity thatwill be available till Tuesday and not to create rush at busstands.
"Keeping in mind the situation of poor labourers, forthree days from today, free KSRTC (Karnataka State RoadTransport Corporation) bus facilities will be made availablefor those travelling to their native places in Karnataka fromvarious district headquarters and capital Bengaluru city," theChief Minister said in a statement.
Thousands of labourers on Saturday expressed theirinability to pay the higher fare that was fixed for commutingin KSRTC buses.
However, following the intervention of the ChiefMinister later it was decided to charge single fare tariff forworkers travelling by KSRTC buses within the state.
In further relief, Yediyurappa issued orders on Sundaymaking it free travel.
Officials are ensuring that the needy get the benefitof free travel, sources said.
Meanwhile, a large group of migrant workers including1,190 from Odisha left to their respective states from thecity on Sunday.
Among thirteen new cases reported on Sunday, six arefrom Kalaburagi, four from Bengaluru urban, and threeBagalakote district.
While seven are contacts of patients already testedpositive, two each are with history of Influenza Like Illness(ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI), one whohad been to containment zone in Bengaluru, and the other'scontact is under investigation.
Contact tracing has been initiated and is in progressfor all the cases, the department said.
From across the state most number of infections havebeen reported in Bengaluru urban with 149 cases, followed byMysuru 88 and Belagavi 71.
Out of total 293 patients discharged so far maximum 75are from Mysuru, 72 from Bengaluru urban, eighteen fromKalaburagi.
A total of 74,898 samples were tested so far, out ofwhich 5,168 were tested on Sunday alone.
So far 70,998 samples have reported as negative, andout of them 4,523 were reported negative on Sunday.
The government today said, Bengaluru Rural, BengaluruUrban, Ramanagara, Chikkaballapur and Kolar districts will betreated as a single unit for the purpose of movement duringday time between 7 am to 7 pm to undertake permittedactivities only with the production of letter from the companyor organisation they are working in and the official IdentityCard.
Hence, no other inter-district passes will be requiredto move across these districts.
However, for other districts, inter-district movementpasses for permitted activities will be required, which willbe issued by local administrations, it said, no inter-districtpasses shall be issued for non-permitted activities except onone-time basis for stranded persons.
Meanwhile, armed forces on Sunday acknowledged theefforts of "corona warriors" in Karnataka in the fight againstthe pandemic with Indian Air Force helicopters showeringflower petals on hospitals and the IAF band made apresentation.
While, INS Vikramaditya ship, which is at Anchorageoff Karwar coast was illuminated; there was a flypast bytransport aircraft at C 130 J Hercules over Vidhana Soudha,the seat of state legislature and secretariat here, as a markof respect to front line COVID-19 workers.
The Chief Secretary has issued a circular, that 100per cent staff from all the offices of the Departmentsmentioned as essential services should report to the duty fromMay 4 in the three Red Districts- Bengaluru Urban, BengaluruRural and Mysuru; while all Group A and B officers and 33 percent of group C and D staff in respect of other departments inred zone districts will attend work.
Hundred per cent staff of all offices in all otherOrange and Green Zones Districts, should report to duty fromMay 4, it said. KSU SS