Karnataka govt places fresh curbs

The Karnataka government on Friday came out with a set of fresh guidelines for Covid-19 after two cases of the Omicron variant were reported in the state the previous day. According to the guidelines, entry to malls and cinema halls will be allowed only for those who are fully vaccinated.

The government circular said that parents of students (aged below 18) going to schools and colleges should be mandatorily vaccinated with both doses of Covid vaccine. It emphasised that all gatherings, meetings, and conferences should strictly limit the number of participants to 500 people only. Gaurav Gupta, chief commissioner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, told Business Standard that around 3,000 hospital beds have been identified in the state capital as preparedness. “At present, Madame Bowring hospital is the preferred facility for dealing with Omicron cases. I would like to highlight that only 270 to 300 beds are occupied in Bengaluru for Covid at this point,” he added.

Earlier in the day, reports said that the Karnataka health department is worried over 10 South African nationals who have gone untraceable in Bengaluru.