Spike in COVID-19 cases: Karnataka CM Yediyurappa to hold meeting with officials, health experts
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has convened a meeting of officials and health experts on Monday in the wake of a spike in COVID-19 cases in the state in recent days, his office said.
The meeting would be held at 5 PM in the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of state legislature and secretariat, the Chief Minister's Office said in a statement on Sunday.
For the first time since January 22, the daily COVID-19 cases in the state crossed the 900 mark. It reported 921 cases with 630 of them from Bengaluru Urban district alone.
Since Monday last, over 4,300 new cases have been detected in the state, whose cumulative COVID-19 tally stood at 9,59,338 including 12,387 deaths and 9,38,890 discharges.
The active cases, which hovered around 4,000-5,000 last month, touched 8,042 active cases, reflecting the rise.
In the wake of a spike in cases in the state, the government on Friday had put a cap on the number of people who cam gather at events and celebrations like marriages.
Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Jawaid Akhtar in a circular has said the measure has been taken amid the emergence of new clusters and fear of a second wave of the pandemic.
As per new rules, 500 people will be allowed at marriages if it is an open space, and only 200 if it is a hall or a closed space. Similarly for birthday celebrations, the limit would be 100 and 50 respectively for functions in open and closed spaces.
A similar cap has been specified for funerals. However, at cremations and burials, only 50 are allowed. A maximum of 500 people will be allowed for religious and political gatherings in open spaces.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms lash parts of Uttarakhand; all districts put on high alert
Dehradun (PTI): Heavy rain and hailstorms accompanied by strong winds lashed several districts of Uttarakhand on Sunday morning, prompting the state administration to put all district authorities on high alert.
The sudden change in weather caused uprooted trees to block roads and disrupted power supply at various locations.
Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman chaired a review meeting with district officials to assess the situation.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rain and thunderstorms at most places across all districts for Monday and Tuesday. Snowfall is expected in regions situated at altitudes of 4,000 metres and above.
An 'orange alert' remains in place for Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar. These districts are likely to witness isolated heavy rain, hailstorms, and intense to very intense spells of rain accompanied by gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph, the IMD said.
The weather office predicted that maximum temperatures across the state are likely to fall by 3-5 degrees Celsius over the next three to four days. During the past 24 hours, maximum temperatures remained "markedly below normal" in the plains and ranged from "markedly" to "appreciably" below normal in the hilly regions.
Dehradun experienced dark, overcast skies early Sunday, creating night-like conditions during morning hours. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 34.7 degrees Celsius, 5.3 degrees Celsius below the seasonal average.
For the state capital, the forecast predicts a partly to generally cloudy sky with a high of 31 degrees Celsius and a low of 19 degrees Celsius.
Significant rainfall was recorded across the state after 8.30 am on Sunday, with Jollygrant receiving 21.6 mm and Mohakampur recording 19.8 mm. Other areas, including Mukteshwar (15.0 mm), Mussoorie (13.4 mm), and Pithoragarh (8.5 mm), also saw measurable precipitation.
Secretary Suman directed officials to clear blocked roads on priority to ensure public convenience. Specific instructions were issued regarding the Char Dham Yatra, ordering that helicopter services must operate strictly according to weather conditions to ensure pilgrims' safety.
Isolated places in the remaining hilly districts are also expected to experience thunderstorms with lightning and intense rain spells.
