Face masks will be mandatory inside theatres, classrooms, and institutions, the Karnataka government declared on Monday. In view of growing Covid concerns across the nation, state Health Minister Dr. K Sudhakar issued the new rules. Prior to the New Year, Sudhakhar announced that parties would only be allowed in clubs, restaurants, and pubs until 1 am. Masks will be required for festivities of the new year. ‘No need to worry, just be cautious’, he said, according to an ANI report.
Face masks have previously been required within enclosed areas and air-conditioned rooms by the Karnataka government. Up to new instructions from the Center, the state will continue to conduct 2% random tests on foreign travellers arriving in the state. With an increase in Covid cases worldwide, particularly in China, CM Basavaraj Bommai underlined the need for awareness-building on Monday. Without interfering with daily life or economic activity, he claimed, the government will gradually put preventative measures into place. When the cabinet met in Bengaluru, this was covered.
Bommai was quoted by PTI as saying, ‘The current COVID situation was discussed at the cabinet meeting today, about the need to raise public awareness about the increase in booster dose, testing, making testing mandatory for cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI), wearing masks in closed places’. He told reporters that a high-level meeting will be held later that day to tackle all of these issues.
To increase the booster dosage coverage from the current 20% to 60% within a month, the government earlier resolved to establish dedicated camps throughout Karnataka. The state will work with the Center to increase its stock of booster doses in this regard. The government intended to run drills in all public and private hospitals to assess the condition of oxygen generators, supply networks, and the operation of oxygen cylinders in order to gauge its readiness.
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