COVID-19: Over 200 discharged in K'taka so far, 11 cases confirmed
Meanwhile, in further relaxation of COVID-19 lockdownnorms, the government decided to conditionally allow economicactivities to restart in green zones by opening shops andindustries.
Cumulatively 523 COVID-19 positive cases have beenconfirmed in the state, including 20 deaths and 207discharges, the health department said in its bulletin.
Out of 295 active cases, 288 patients are in isolation atdesignated hospitals and are stable, while seven are inIntensive Care Units.
Fourteen patients who recovered were discharged onTuesday. Seven of them are from Mysuru, five from Bengaluruurban and one each from Bengaluru rural and other state.
"The number of discharges are more today.Total dischargeshave also reached 207. This development instills confidence,"Minister S Suresh Kumar, who is spokesperson for COVID-19 inKarnataka, told reporters. He said 40 per cent of those found positive had alreadybeen discharged and the number would be more in the days tocome. Out of the 11 new cases reported, six are from Kalaburagiand all are contacts of a patient who already tested positive.
Among them four are women and two are men.
Three people (a man, woman and a 11 year-old boy) arefrom Jamakhandi in Bagalakote district and are contacts ofpatients already tested positive.
The other two are- a man from Bengaluru urban, who was incontact with those in containment zone of BBMP Ward-135; and aman from Gadag, who has a history of Severe Acute RespiratoryInfection (SARI).
Contact tracing has been initiated and is in progress forall the cases, the department said.
From across the state most number of infections have beenreported in Bengaluru urban with 131 cases, followed by Mysuru87 and Belagavi 52.
Out of the total of 207 patients discharged so far, themaximum of 58 are from Bengaluru, 48 from Mysuru and 11 fromChikkaballapura.
Among the dead are five each from Bengaluru urban andKalaburagi, two each from Chikkaballapura, Dakshina Kannadaand Vijayapura, and one each from Belagavi, Bagalkote, Gadagand Tumakuru.
A total of 50,512 samples have been tested so far, out ofwhich 4,827 were tested on Tuesday alone, the bulletin said.
So far 48,508 samples have reported as negative, out ofwhih 4,717 were on Tuesday.
Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Commissioner, Department of Healthand Family Welfare, said Karnataka has adequate testing kitsand RT-PCR kits and the testing capacity has steadily gone up.
"Going further we are trying to enhance our testingcapacity by whatever means possible... we are exploring allpossibilities," he said.
Pointing out that random sampling tests were beingconducted in two hot spots in Bengaluru, Minister Kumar said145 samples were collected from Hongasandra in the last twoand 70 in Padarayanapura, all of which tested negative.
Responding to a question, he said 120 containment zoneshave been formed in Karnataka.
Meanwhile, fresh relaxation orders were issued by ChiefSecretary T M Vijay Bhaskar under which shops and industrialactivities have been allowed to operate in green zonedistricts of Chamarajanagar, Koppal, Chikkamagaluru, Raichur,Chitradurga, Ramanagara, Hassan, Shivamogga, Haveri, Yadgir,Kolar, Davangere, Udupi and Kodagu.
The restrictions will continue in Bengaluru Urban,Belagavi, Mysuru, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Kalaburagi, Bidar andDakshina Kannada, where only essential services will beallowed.
All shops, including shops, standalone shops, those inresidential complexes within the limits of municipalcorporations and municipalities can open with 50 per centstaff strength, with masks and social distancing mandatory.
Shops in residential and marketing complexes will beallowed to open in areas located outside municipal limits, itsaid, adding that multi-brand and single-brand malls willremain shut in the state.
Industries operating in rural areas of green zones(except Ramanagara) have been allowed to function.
Also, manufacturing and other industrial establishmentswith access control in Special Economic Zones and export-oriented units, industrial estates and industrial townshipswill be allowed.These establishments are expected to arrangefor the stay and transport of employees, the order said.
With blood banks facing shortage of stock and difficultyin providing transfusion to pregnant, post-natal mothers,accident cases and those with blood related diseases,an actionplan has been prepared by the Commissionarate of Health andFamily Welfare Services with instructions to districts tostrictly follow it.