Bengaluru: Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said he has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been admitted to the hospital on the advice of doctors.

The 71-year-old leader of opposition in the state assembly has requested all those who have come into contact with him to quarantine themselves.

“I have been tested positive for #Covid19 & also been admitted to the hospital on the advice of doctors as a precaution. I request all those who had come in contact with me to check out for symptoms & to quarantine themselves,” Siddaramaiah tweeted.

Siddaramaiah’s son Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah said his father had a fever since Monday morning and was admitted to hospital in the night.

“He was confirmed with corona infection after the antigen test was conducted,” he said in a tweet.

Siddaramaiah has also been admitted to Manipal Hospital where Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is undergoing treatment for coronavirus.

Yediyurappa was admitted to the hospital on Sunday night after he tested positive for coronavirus, and doctors have said he was “doing well” and is “clinically stable”.

State Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar tweeted wishing for Siddaramaiah’s speedy recovery and said he was in constant touch with Manipal hospital doctors.(Siddaramaiah) health is stable and there is no need to worry.”

Bengaluru: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President, DK Shivakumar on Monday added that the Congress party was not against the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

In a tweet from the official twitter handle of Karnataka Congress, the State Congress President was quoted as saying that Sri Ram and Hinduism was part of the culture of India and was not limited to one political party.

He further added that the BJP has always politicized the issue by playing with the sentiments of the people and the Congress in not involved in such activities.

BS Yediyurappa’s test results came in hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah tested positive for the disease.

BS Yediyurappa tested positive for coronavirus and was hospitalised late last evening.

Six staff members working in the office of the Karnataka Chief Minister have tested positive for coronavirus a day after BS Yediyurappa tested positive for the disease. Mr Yediyurappa was hospitalised late last evening. In a brief post on Twitter, Mr Yediyurappa said that he was fine but had been hospitalised on the advice of doctors.

Mr Yediyurappa’s daughter Padmavathi has also tested positive, while his son, Vijayendra, has tested negative.

“I have tested positive for coronavirus. Whilst I am fine, I am being hospitalised as a precaution on recommendation of doctors. I request those who have come in contact with me recently to be observant and exercise self-quarantine,” the tweet of the 77-year-old Chief Minister read.

“I got to know around 8.30 or 9 pm last night that I was Coronavirus positive. I came to the hospital immediately to take treatment. The doctors examined me last night and this morning and said, ‘There is no problem. You should be discharged soon’,” the Chief Minister said this morning.

He added that he has been in touch with officials “to make sure that work is not affected”.

“Nobody should be worried. I will recover quickly and get back to work. May your blessings and support always be with me. Please make sure you wear a mask. That is the only way to escape this virus,” he added.

Mr Yediyurappa’s test results came in hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah tested positive for the disease.

Yesterday, Tamil Nadu Governor  Banwarilal Purohit and former Union minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram also tested positive.

Last week, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also tested positive. Today is his tenth day in hospital, where he is receiving treatment.

A minister from Uttar Pradesh, Kamal Rani Varun, died yesterday two weeks after she tested positive for the virus.

Karnataka logged 5,532 cases of coronavirus last evening, taking the statewide total to 1,34,819.  Of these 745,90 are active cases. In state capital Bengaluru, 2,105 people tested positive, taking the total to 59,501, of which 37,513 are active cases

The countrywide numbers of COVID-19 crossed the 18-lakh mark on Monday, just a day after it went past 17 lakh mark, with 52,972 cases being reported within 24 hours.

Data from the Union Health Ministry showed the country has logged 18,03,695 infections.

With 771 COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, the number of fatalities has climbed to 38,135, the government said.

Siddaramaiah said on Thursday that he would demand that the government pay GST compensation so that they can focus on development.

MYSURU: Criticising the Centre’s move to stop payment of GST compensation to states, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah said it would serve a “death blow” to the federal system and push the states towards bankruptcy. He said the Centre should extend all support to the states, as many are hit by a resource crunch and will need to find solutions to raise revenue.

Siddaramaiah said on Thursday that he would demand that the government pay GST compensation so that they can focus on development. “The Centre cannot wash its hands of remitting funds, citing a decline in revenue due to economic slowdown or due to Covid-19, as it is the commitment of the Centre to give GST component to states,” he said. His criticism comes in the wake of the GST Council, which is likely to meet in August, seeking suggestions from states on proposals to raise funds. He accused BJP of pushing the ordinance on Land Reforms Act with the intention of helping capitalists and the corporate sector buy vast tracts of land. He said the motive was to help housing societies in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts.

The Congress, that has decided to expose the government agenda behind the ordinance, kept its options open to take up a legal battle, as it will leave small farmers landless. Terming one year of the B S Yediyurappa government a “total failure”, he said that the government came to power illegally and had no moral right to celebrate. There is no governance in the state for over a year, he said. He also charged the government of failing to handle the pandemic, and alleged large-scale corruption in the procurement of equipment.

Despite the building being used sparingly, workload for maintenance staff has only increased owing to the Covid crisis

BENGALURU: Late last Sunday evening, the Vidhana Soudha administration received a message from the higher-ups — keep the Soudha premises clean. This included the corridor and banquet hall, where a small event was arranged for the release of a booklet on one year of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s government. The administration, encumbered with few employees and limited time, had to marshal the housekeeping staff to do a rush job on Monday morning, just minutes before the event.

This incident brought to light the acute shortage of staff at Vidhana Soudha. Despite the fact that the Soudha is sparely used, their workload has increased, with a sharp emphasis on cleanliness due to the Covid crisis. The imposing structure has three main floors and a floor area of 5.05 lakh sqft. This mega building, that houses the legislature, has 370 rooms and 14 general toilet complexes within the premises. According to sources from the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), the sanctioned post of sweepers is 84.

Over a period of time, recruitment stopped and the number came down to 33, due to some employees retiring, and a few passing away. Sources said that these 33 employees, along with a few cleaning personnel from the Public Works Department (PWD) sweep the floors, rooms, corridors and banquet hall every day. They begin work at 7.30am and finish by 2.30pm. Each staffer sweeps at least eight to ten rooms, corridors and stairs. Not just this, the pandemic outbreak and resultant lockdown is also affecting them. Some personnel come from Anekal, Doddaballapura, Hoskote and other places outside Bengaluru and don’t get proper transportation due to the Covid-19 curbs.

Many of them are above 50 years of age. There is irregular attendance because of these constraints. There are 14 outsourced personnel who clean the toilets. According to sources, there is a shortage of lift operators too. There are 10 lifts in Vidhana Soudha, and only 10 operators. A senior DPAR official, on condition of anonymity, admitted that there was indeed staff shortage. “This issue will be sorted out. The government plans to outsource cleaning work to a private agency. There is no move to appoint permanent staff.

People visiting mosques for the prayers have to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, Minority Welfare and Wakf Department Secretary AB Ibrahim said in an order.

Eid-ul- Azha, also known as Bakrid, would be celebrated on July 31 and August 1.  

The Karnataka government has allowed Eid-ul-Azha prayers only in mosques with a maximum of 50 people at a time and said mass prayers at Eidgah and other places are prohibited in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

People visiting mosques for the prayers have to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, Minority Welfare and Wakf Department Secretary AB Ibrahim said in an order.

It said the Hilal committee has decided that the Eid-ul- Azha, also known as Bakrid, would be celebrated on July 31 in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu districts while it would be on August 1 in the rest of the state.

Noting that mass prayers were one of the important rituals Muslims perform during Bakrid, the order said in view of the COVID-19 pandemic such events at Eidgah and other places were prohibited.

However, prayers would be allowed in mosques with the restriction that not more than 50 people should take part. If there were more people, the prayers should be performed in batches, the department said in the order.

Mass prayers should not be performed in any other places such as halls, community buildings and “Shadi Mahal”, the order added.

Karnataka allowed temples, mosques and other places of worship to be open for devotees from June 8 with all COVID-19 preventive measures in place.

Bengaluru: D K Suresh, in an attempt to clear the doubts and myths among the people regarding COVID-19, attended the cremation of a patient who died due to COVID in his constituency.

The Bangalore Rural MP attended the last rites of a 73-year-old COVID-19 patient at the crematorium near the Kanakapura Temple Mutt.

He had earlier visited the COVID-19 treatment hospital and met the patients to give a positive message to the society.

The MP had also written an open letter, reminding that Covid-19 victims could not harm the people. “There are a lot of rumours in this regard, but preventing cremation does not suit our culture. It is also not a humane gesture. Instead, we should assist the relatives to carry out the last rites of the deceased in a respectable manner,” he had requested.

Speaking after the cremation, Suresh said that the victim had been under treatment for a few days ago, but failed to respond positively to the treatment. He said that he prayed for the family to get strength to bear the loss of a relative, and also thanked all those who helped conduct the last rites.

PPE kits were used as a precautionary measure by all who attended the cremation.

MLC Ravi and Kanakapura City Municipal Council members were present.

Local Congress legislator Priyank Kharge, reacting to the video, alleged that the hospitals in the region were being poorly managed.

The video was taken at the Kalaburagi COVID Hospital reportedly on Wednesday.5Bengaluru: 

A herd of pigs can be seen roaming freely on the premises of a COVID-19 hospital in Karnataka, undeterred by the people present there. The grunting and squealing of the herd also does not bother the staff who continue to carry their duty, thus highlighting the complete negligence on hygiene by the hospital management.

The video — taken at the Kalaburagi COVID Hospital reportedly on Wednesday — has been widely shared online since. 

Local Congress legislator Priyank Karge, reacting to the video, alleged that the hospitals in the region were being poorly managed.

Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu has now instructed hospital authorities to be vigilant and ensure that such an incident does not happen again. 

Acording to reports, Kalaburagi, which was previously known as Gulbarga, has reported 2,674 cases so far. 

The first COVID-19-related death in the country was reported from Kalburgi.

On Saturday, Karnataka recorded 4,537 new COVID-19 cases, the biggest single-day spike of the pandemic, bringing the total number of those infected by the deadly virus in the state to 59,652.

“Worldwide the number of coronavirus cases is increasing. All of us should be alert. Whether you are a member of the ruling party or in the opposition, rich or poor… the virus doesn’t discriminate,” the 48-year-old BJP leader told reporters.

His remarks however landed him in controversy, with the Opposition Congress claiming that the minister’s remarks reflects poorly on BS Yediyurappa government’s ability to handle the COVID-19 crisis.

Karnataka recorded 4,120 new COVID-19 cases today, the biggest single-day spike of the pandemic in the state, bringing the total number of those infected by the deadly virus in the state to 63,772, government data showed

Out of over 4,000 fresh cases in state, 2,156 were from Bengaluru urban alone

The Karnataka government has tied up with a non-profit health consortium, Swasth, to monitor coronavirus positive patients in home isolation who may have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic.

Health Department Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey met with a team from Swasth on July 16 to discuss a system to monitor home isolation for asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients, a statement said.

“As more patients with non-serious COVID-19 symptoms are being advised to isolate at home to ensure the availability of beds and resources for severely-ill patients, the system is intended to prevent the spread of the disease and ensure adequate care for patients in home isolation,” it said.

“The Commissionerate of Health and Family Welfare Services issued a work order on July 17 for Swasth to work with the state to implement a 10-day care package through service providers for patients isolating at home for an initial period of one month. This package will include daily monitoring of patients by healthcare professionals, and periodic check-ins by doctors,” it said.

“If the person’s condition worsens, he/she can get in touch with an emergency contact provided, and be connected with the doctor. The doctor may recommend a patient call the 108 ambulance service or redirect them to government services…” it said.

Karnataka recorded 4,120 new COVID-19 cases today, the biggest single-day spike of the pandemic in the state, bringing the total number of those infected by the deadly virus in the state to 63,772, government data showed. The total fatalities in the state climbed to 1,331 with 91 deaths in the last 24 hours, it said.

Out of the over 4,000 fresh cases in the state, 2,156 were from Bengaluru urban alone.

With 1,290 discharges, the number of patients who recovered and were discharged reached 23,065, the health department said in its latest bulletin.

“We have reached a point where it is difficult for the district authorities to restrain it, even though we are trying to restrain it. Somewhere the situation is going out of hand,” JC Madhuswamy said.

Tumkur: The minister confirmed that the cumulative toll in the district due to COVID-19 rises to 9.1 

Coronavirus is spreading at the community level in Karnataka, said minister, JC Madhuswamy on Monday.

“Medical condition of eight infected with coronavirus admitted in Tumkur COVID Hospital is critical. There is no guarantee of their lives as per the information. We somewhere feel we are worried that coronavirus is spreading at the community level,” Madhuswamy, Tumakuru district-in-charge minister, told reporters.

“We have reached a point where it is difficult for the district authorities to restrain it, even though we are trying to restrain it. Somewhere the situation is going out of hand,” he said.

The minister confirmed that the cumulative toll in the district due to COVID-19 rises to 9.

Earlier, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, Deputy CM Ashwath Narayan, Medical Education Minister Dr Sudhakar have denied of community transmission of coronavirus in Karnataka.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are 23,474 coronavirus cases in Karnataka including 13,255 and 372 deaths.