A record 26,962 new Covid cases were registered in a day across Karnataka, with 16,662 of them in Bengaluru, while 190 patients succumbed to the infection in the state during the day, said the state health bulletin on Friday.
In all, 26,962 patients testing positive on Thursday, while 10,46,554 recovered, with 8,697 discharged in the last 24 hours, said a bulletin. Bengaluru alone registered 16,662 fresh cases in a day, taking the city's Covid tally to 6,15,581, including 1,49,624 active cases, while recoveries increased to 4,60,382, with 4,727 discharged during the day.
Of the 190 lives lost to the virus, 124 were in Bengaluru, taking the state's death toll to 14,075 and the city's toll to 5,574 since the pandemic broke out in mid-March a year ago. Among districts, 1,004 fresh cases were reported in Tumakur, 742 in Kalaburagi, 695 in Ballari, 645 in Mysuru, 588 in Bengaluru Rural, 519 in Mandya and 504 in Kolar across the state.
Of 1,128 patients in the intensive care units (ICUs), 246 are in Bengaluru hospitals, 175 in Kalaburagi, 95 in Tumakur, 91 in Dharwad, 85 in Davangere, 58 in Shivamogga, 49 in Mysuru and 44 in Kolar, with the rest scattered in the remaining 23 districts across the state.
Out of 1,77,466 tests conducted during the day across the state, 17,785 were through rapid antigen detection and 1,59,681 through RT-PCR method. Positivity rate was 15.19 per cent while case fatality rate was 0.70 per cent across the state on Thursday.
Meanwhile, a record 1,69,825 people, including 71,426 senior citizens and 84,960 in the 45-59 years age group were vaccinated during the day across the state. "Cumulatively, 83,80,736 people, including healthcare workers and frontline warriors have received the jab since the vaccination drive was launched on January 16 across the southern state," added the bulletin.
Managing Crematoriums in Bengaluru
In a bid to reduce the number of complaints about crematorium staff charging unduly, Bengaluru civic body on Friday evening issued a circular announcing appointment of 24 nodal officers for 12 crematoriums that are functional across the city.
According to a circular issued by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), 24 nodal officers would be working in two shifts - morning and evening - 12 hour each. "Officers will interchange their shifts or they can perform their duties in either of the shifts," an official revealed.
"With the appointment of nodal officers, the BBMP can directly monitor what and where exactly the problem lies. The nodal officers have been asked to submit reports on the happenings of designated crematoriums allotted to these officers. These officers will report directly to Chief Commissioner of the Bengaluru civic body, Gaurav Gupta," the circular stated.
Bengaluru city with a more than a crore population has 12 electrical crematoriums in total with two furnaces each that are operated by the Bengaluru civic body. These crematoriums are situated in eight divisions of the city:
Medi Agrahara and Hebbal-Kempapura of Yelahanka division, Kudlu of Bommanahalli, Panathur of Mahadevapura, Kallahalli in East division, Harishchndra Ghat and Mysuru Road of West division, Kengeri, Sumanahalli and Peenya of Rajarajeshwari Nagar division and Banashankari and Wilson Garden of Southern division have been allowed to cremate dead both Covid and non-Covid bodies.
According to the staff working in these crematoriums, each crematoriums' used to cremate 10-12 bodies on an average prior to Covid in 2020 but during the second wave of the Covid, each crematorium is receiving nearly 40 bodies a day and furnaces of the crematoriums working round the clock. With bodies piling up and staff is forced to work round the clock.
Meanwhile relatives of the dead are complaining that staff were overcharging to an extent of Rs 50,000 to perform last rites of a dead person. These complaints have forced the state government to set up at least two makeshift crematoriums on the outskirts of city besides allowing the dead persons relatives' carryout last rites in a land owned by them.
Despite these measures, dead bodies are continue to pile up in front of all crematoriums in the city.
Weekend curfew sets in Karnataka to contain Covid
The first 57-hour weekend curfew from 9 p.m. on Friday to 6 a.m. on Monday to contain the pandemic's second wave sweeping Karnataka came into force across the state, an official said on Friday.
"As notified by the chief secretary on April 20, the weekend curfew has been enforced from 9 p.m. on Friday to 6 a.m. on Monday to restrict movement of people across the state to contain the virus spread, with essential services exempted," an official of the state home department told IANS here.
The weekend curfew is in addition to the night curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. on week days (Monday to Thursday) till May 4. The next weekend curfew will be from 9 p.m. on April 30 to 6 a.m. on May 3.
"Besides essential services, shops selling groceries, vegetables, fruits, milk, eggs, fish, meat and medicines will be allowed to remain open from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday to meet the daily needs of the people," said the official.
While passenger and cargo flights by state-run Air India and private airlines and special trains by the railways will operate, a limited number of buses will run on inter-state and intra-state routes for people employed in essential services and duties.
Vaccination drive on
"No restriction on the movement of state government and civic body employees. Private employees on emergency duty will be allowed to travel on producing identity card to local police and security personnel," said the official.
Eligible people, including senior citizens and those in the 45-59 years age group will be allowed to visit hospitals for vaccination, as patients for treatment in state-run and private hospitals.
"Pre-arranged weddings will be allowed with only 50 people participating. Only 20 people are allowed to attend funerals or death ceremonies," said the official.
While cinema theatres, pubs, clubs, restaurants and hotels and malls will be shut, public will be allowed to visit parks with face masks. They have to ensure social distancing and sanitise their hands. Eateries will be allowed to provide parcel service to customers but not dining.
"As on weekdays, places of worship, temples, mosques and churches will be shut for visitors though priests will be allowed to perform rituals," noted the official. Similarly, home delivery and e-commerce services will be allowed.
To restrict and regulate vehicular movement, barricades have been set up on main roads and junctions and traffic police deployed to check the validity of people allowed to commute in cities and towns across the state.
Hundreds of people headed to their native places or towns and villages during the day from Bengaluru and other cities to avoid being stranded during the weekend curfew. According to the state health bulletin, 26,962 new cases were reported in a day, taking the state's Covid tally to 12,74,959, including 2,14,311 active cases.
