Need to prevent outbreak of second Covid wave, says Health Minister K Sudhakar

Bengaluru: Marshalls will be deployed in marriage halls to ensure Covid guidelines are followed says Health & Medical Education Minister Dr K.Sudhakar. He was speaking to the media here on Monday after a video conference with all District Administrations.

'People attending large gatherings are not following the guidelines. In fact, people urged me to remove face mask when I attended a function. Therefore, it is necessary to deploy a Marshall to ensure the Covid guidelines are followed. Not more than 500 people are allowed in a gathering and face mask is compulsory for all. Catering service providers will also be instructed to get tested before they render service' said the Minister.

"Meetings and gatherings are happening in violation of the Covid guidelines. We may have to enforce strict guidelines if cases are increased. We don't want a situation like Maharashtra where lockdown has been re-imposed in certain areas," said Dr.Sudhakar.

"More than 4.24 lakh health department employees and 1.20 lakh front line warriors have been administered first dose of Covid vaccine. We are cleaning up registration data by eliminating duplicate entries. We have a target of 80 per cent and 90 per cent coverage for Health dept staff and front line warriors respectively by the end of this month. All officials have been requested to get the dose, said the Minister," he added.

He also said that Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa himself is monitoring the vaccination drive and will be conducting a video conference with officials this weekend. Bengaluru is lagging in vaccination. Bagalakote, Bengaluru, Dharawada have registered less than 50 per cent coverage. Chikkaballapura (79 per cent), Tumkur (78 per cent) Uttara Kannada (73 per cent), Gadag (71 per cent), Chikkamagalur(70 per cent) and Chamarajnagar(70 per cent) have achieved more than 70 per cent. Gadag (84 per cent) and Tumkur (71 per cent) are ahead in covering front line warriors. Bagalkot (23 per cent), Bengaluru Urban (26 per cent) and Chamrajanagar (27 per cent) are lagging behind and it is instructed to all districts to achieve 80 per cent target, He added.