No decision yet on lockdown in Dakshina Kannada district: Minister

Karnataka minister Kota Srinivas Poojary informed that government has not taken any decision to impose total lockdown of Dakshina Kannada district. A total of 186 Coronavirus cases were confirmed on Saturday, taking the number of infections in the district so far to 2,034.

Mangaluru:The Karnataka government has not taken any decision on imposing a total lockdown in
Dakshina Kannada in view of the increasing number of Coronavirus cases in the district, state minister Kota Srinivas Poojary said on Sunday.

The district has reported 492 COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths in the last three days.

A total of 186 Coronavirus cases were confirmed Saturday, taking the number of infections in the district so far to 2,034.

Denying reports that a lockdown will be enforced on the lines of Bengaluru, Poojary, who is DK in-charge Minister, told reporters here that he had a discussion with district Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh and Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel on the Coronavirus situation.

"A decision on any further lockdown in the district will be taken only after a video conference to be held with the Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday," he said.

The minister said the administration will make a decision with the interests of the general public in mind.

In parts of the district, people are coming forward with the voluntary lockdown.

Sindhu Rupesh asked the public not to neglect fever and visit clinics set up in all the medical college hospitals, urban health centres and taluk hospitals in the district.

An expert committee of doctors that conducted a death audit of COVID-19 patients has opined that many deaths occurred due to late reporting of cases with co-morbidities.

Meanwhile, in a tweet, Mangaluru MLA U T Khader urged the Chief Minister to impose a lockdown in DK for a week as the cases were rising.

"Announce lockdown here also as you have announced in Bengaluru. Increase the health and medical infrastructure.

"Only after getting the supplementary plan ready for implementation, relax the lockdown in phases," he tweeted.

(PTI REPORT)