The Karnataka government has ended the weekend curfew in the border districts of Kerala and Maharashtra following a visible decline in the number of new Covid-19 cases, with the state-wide covid positivity rate at 0.73 per cent in all these districts.
The decision was taken in a meeting held on Thursday and orders were issued later in the evening. The curbs were imposed when all these districts reported more than 2 per cent positivity rate as per the expert committee recommendations.
The bordering districts especially, Kodagu, Mysuru, Dakshina Kannada which borders Kerala have also recorded less number of cases, as well as a low positivity rate. The number has also decreased in Chamarajnagar and Hassan districts, where a large number of students and workers commuted from Kerala.
The state government had recently issued a circular for all educational institutions and companies to restrict the movement of people from Kerala. The Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada also issued a directive restricting the movements from and towards Kerala till October 31.
The state government has given authority to the respective District Commissioners to take a call on imposing weekend curfews and other measures based on the Covid situation. However, night curfew will continue in the state including the border districts, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The government has also directed authorities of the border districts of Kerala and Maharashtra to strengthen checkposts.
Third Wave scare
Meanwhile, the threat of a possible third wave is looming large over Karnataka, after a tragic incident of the death of a 2-year-old girl who showed Covid-like symptoms has been reported from the newly-formed Vijayanagar district.
Sharing the information on Thursday, District Commissioner P. Sunilkumar said that the infant passed away on August 20. "The girl was being treated at a district hospital in Vijayapura for breathing issues. Sadly, she did not respond to the treatment and passed away," he said.
An RT-PCR test was conducted on the girl, but the result returned negative. However, since she showed all the symptoms of Covid, it was considered as a death caused by the dreaded virus, he added.
Experts have warned that a possible third wave of the pandemic might affect children more. According to the health bulletin released by the state government, 13 kids between 0 and 9 years of age and 36 aged 10 to 19 have tested positive for Covid in Bengaluru in the last 24 hours.
Till date, 27 kids (10 girls, 17 boys) between 0 and 9 years have died due to Covid in Bengaluru alone.
(With inputs from IANS)
