- The R-count, the number of people one infected person can pass the virus to, is as high in Karnataka as it is in Kerala.
- Essentially, the chances of infection spreading has gone up beyond an acceptable threshold in many states.
- The new cases of COVID-19 in Karnataka have crossed the number of recoveries as of July 31.
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The R-count is a measure of the number of people that one infected person can pass the virus to. It ought to be less than one but in many Indian states, it’s far above the acceptable threshold. The chances of infection spreading from a person, who has Covid, to others have gone up.
These are the seven states where the R-value is among the highest in the country.
The union government in New Delhi has asked for stricter curbs in districts where the positivity rate is more than 10%.
There are at least 46 districts in the country that have shown a positivity rate of 10%, according to PTI, a news agency. A 10% positivity rate would mean at least one person among every ten tested is found to be carrying COVID-19 infection.
However, one epidemiologist from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) believes that those districts that were ravaged during the second wave of COVID-19 infections, in April and May 2021, may not be hit as badly by the third wave. Therefore, policy responses have to be more targeted this time around.
These are some of the restrictions imposed in specific states:
Karnataka, home to the capital of India's technology startups Bengaluru, has seen a spike in infections as well as the R-value. The rate of spread of infections, as measured by the R-value, is as high in Karnataka as it is Kerala, which has been contributing to nearly half of the country's total cases in the last few days.
Karnataka has made it mandatory for people entering from Maharashtra and Kerala to produce a negative test report, RTPCR (Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction), to be let into the state. Even resorts and homestays in Karnataka that take online bookings must seek a negative RTPCR report from travellers.
Tamil Nadu government has ordered the closure of commercial complexes in nine locations until August 9. Again, people entering from Kerala must carry a COVID-19 test certificate that is not older than 72 hours.
All restaurants in the Coimbatore district can function at 50% occupancy from 8 a.m to 5 p.m. and, after that, until 9 p.m, only take-aways will be allowed. Only wholesale businesses — and only one in every two shops on a rotation — are allowed to be open in Coimbatore.
Entry for devotees into some temples in Tamil Nadu have been barred. Uttar Pradesh has barred all kinds of religious procession during Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, which begins on August 20. West Bengal has extended its existing restrictions until August 15.
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