Karnataka govt issues new Covid guidelines; gyms, swimming pools to remain closed
Bengaluru, Apr 2: With rising coronavirus cases, the Karnataka government on Friday took a slew of decisions including shutting down boarding and residential hostels for primary and secondary schools and optional attendance for students of Classes 10, 11 and 12.
The government also ordered closure of gymnasium, party halls, club houses and swimming pools while occupancy in buses should not exceed beyond the seating capacity.
The order was issued by Karnataka Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar.
Besides suspending physical classes for classes six to nine, Kumar said in his order, "Classes 10, 11 and 12th can continue in the existing mode. However, attendance to these classes in person is not mandatory."
Further, classes of higher and professional courses have been suspended except classes due for Board or University examinations and of Health Sciences.
The order said rallies and Dharna (sit-in) will be prohibited.
The government asked companies to follow the work from home mode as far as possible whereas cinema halls should follow alternative seating subject to a maximum of 50 per cent seating capacity in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Kalaburagi, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Bidar and Dharwad.
In these districts, pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants should not have people above 50 per cent capacity.
Shopping malls, departmental stores, pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants have been told to abide by the COVID protocol such as mandatory face masks, hand sanitisers and physical distancing should be followed strictly.
"If there is any violation, the facility shall be closed till the COVID epidemic is over," the order said.
Police and the civic agencies have been asked to ensure that people follow the norms strictly.
The restrictions will be in force till April 20.
In view of increasing COVID-19 cases Karnataka Government has issued Guidelines to contain the spread.@CMofKarnataka @mla_sudhakar @WHO @UNICEFIndia @UNDP_India @MoHFW_INDIA @PIBBengaluru @CovidKarnataka pic.twitter.com/lJGlY0HY7z
— K'taka Health Dept (@DHFWKA) April 2, 2021
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
