Decision on Covidcurbs to be taken on April 20: Yediyurappa

Karnataka,National

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Bengaluru, April 19 (IAN) Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa said on Monday that decisions to issue fresh rounds of curbs to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the state will be taken after discussing it in an all-party meeting that is scheduled to be held virtually at 4:30 pm on Tuesday (April 20).

Yediyurappa made this statement after attending Bengaluru legislators and MPs meeting virtually on Monday from hospital that was convened by Revenue Minister, R. Ashoka to discuss in detail with Bengaluru legislators here in Vidhana Soudha here.

After the surge in Covid cases, Karnataka government had enforced night curfew in eight cities - Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Udupi-Manipal, Mysuru, Kalaburagi, Bidar and Tumkur - from April 10 to April 20.

The night curfew is active from 10 pm to 5 am every day. The state government directed civic marshalls and police officials to initiate action against those who violate the night curfew in the state.But after COVID-19 cases continued to rise in the state, particularly in Bengaluru, the state government decided to announce stringent rules on Monday. It also comes at a time hospitals in Bengaluru are complaining about severe shortage of oxygen, beds and medicines.

Meanwhile, taking a dig at the spike in Covid cases, Karnataka leader of the Opposition, Suddaramaiah quipped that Karnataka chief minister (Yediyurappa) is in the hospital and the state government is in ICU.Yediyurappa was admitted to a private hospital on April 16, after he was tested Covid positive.

Siddaramaiah also demanded that Yediyurappa government to table a white paper on its preparedness to tackle the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, in Bengaluru.

'Covid patients complaining about no hospital beds in government hospitals and they cannot afford private hospitals. There is an acute shortage of lifesaving drugs like Remdesivir and oxygen. Hence, the state government must table whitepaper on its preparedness,' he argued.

Siddarmaiah observed that last year, when Covid struck for the first time, it was an unexpected assault.

'But instead of preparing itself to tackle the pandemic, the BJP government used the pandemic as an excuse to indulge in corruption, as a result of this, the virus has gained upperhand and the government is struggling to contain disease. The ruling BJP stands exposed before the people today,' he charged.

'The second wave is turning fatal and the state government is helpless,' added Siddaramaiah./Eom/390 words

--IANS

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