Cluster declaration if 3 cases are found: CM Bommai
Bengaluru, Dec 4: With two cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 being detected in Karnataka, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said that any area with three or more cases of coronavirus in the state would be declared as a cluster.
"Earlier, we had decided to identify a place as cluster with 10 COVID-19 cases, but now we have decided to minimise it to three. People in that area will undergo tests, treatment and vaccination," he told reporters here.
He said he has observed that cases are emerging in two types of clusters in the state -- one in schools and colleges and the other, in residential apartments in Bengaluru.
Bommai said double dose of vaccine has been made mandatory for parents of students who attend regular classes and that testing is compulsory for all the inmates and staff of student hostels.
The tests would also be mandatory for those with co-morbidities, the Chief Minister said, adding that officials have been instructed to take foolproof measures.
On the Omicron variant, Bommai said the state has received the preliminary report and the health department has been instructed to submit a detailed report to the government.
Officials have also been directed to get the treatment protocol from the nations where the Omicron is present.
"At present we have information that the same treatment for the Delta infected patients is given for Omicron patients. Yet I have asked the officials to get the treatment protocol to give proper treatment to those who contracted the Omicron variant," Bommai said.
He pointed out that experts have opined that Omicron is a fast spreading variant, but has not shown severe implications.
"However instructions have been issued to intensify tracing and treatment," Bommai said.
To a query on Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandavia's statement that no state, except Punjab, had submitted reports on deaths caused by oxygen shortage, the CM said "I have no information in what context the statement was made."
Asked about state Health Minister Dr Sudhakar's statement about 10 passengers from South Africa found missing in the state, Bommai said "I have not received official information about it. I will speak to the Health Minister about it."
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Ensure paid holiday for postal staff on polling day in Kerala: John Brittas writes to Scindia
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas on Sunday wrote to Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia, seeking his urgent intervention to ensure that postal employees in Kerala are granted a statutory paid holiday on April 9 for the Assembly elections in the southern state.
In his letter, Brittas expressed serious concern over the Kerala Postal Circle’s instructions to treat all postal employees as “absentee voters in essential services (AVES)”, directing them to opt for a postal ballot within an “extremely limited” timeframe.
The Department of Posts operates under the Ministry of Communications. Along with the Department of Telecommunications, it is one of the two main sections within the ministry headed by Scindia.
In his letter, Brittas pointed out that the circular dated March 19 required the collection of Form 12D by March 20 (Eid al-Fitr), and submission of the compiled details at the respective collectorates by March 22 (Sunday), both holidays in Kerala, making meaningful compliance difficult and raising apprehensions about the “arbitrary” nature of the directions.
The CPI(M) leader also pointed out that the Election Commission, in a communication dated March 16, reiterated the requirement under Section 135B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, that every person employed in any establishment and entitled to vote shall be granted a paid holiday on the polling day, without any deduction or abatement of wages.
He said even where certain services are treated as essential, the long-standing administrative practice has been to maintain only minimal required operations on polling day, without denying employees the opportunity to vote in person.
Brittas argued that in some other states going to polls this month, including Assam, most postal employees have been granted a holiday on polling day, in accordance with the statutory provisions.
During the 2021 Kerala polls, postal establishments had observed a holiday on polling day, subject only to limited essential arrangements, he claimed.
The present deviation, Brittas said, raises concerns about inconsistency in the application of law and the avoidable curtailment of the democratic rights of employees.
Stating that the right to vote lies at the core of India's democratic framework, Brittas urged Scindia to examine the matter urgently.
“Given the proximity of the polling date, I earnestly seek your kind indulgence to have the matter examined on priority, and to issue urgent directions to the postal authorities in Kerala to ensure that the statutory entitlement of postal employees in Kerala to a paid holiday on the day of polling is duly ensured,” Brittas said in the letter.
The 140 seats in the Kerala Assembly will go to polls on April 9, and the results will be out on May 4.
