Has Fourth Wave Arrived in Karnataka? Health Minister K Sudhakar Spills The Beans

4th Wave in Karnataka: Several states and UTs are witnessing a sudden spurt in cases.

New Delhi: Though some north Indian states are witnessing a rise in COVID cases, the situation in Karnataka is still under control, state Health Minister K Sudhakar asserted on Wednesday. “Such a situation does not exist in the state as of now, but the government was taking all the required precautionary measures and monitoring the rise in cases in other states and countries”, Sudhakar said advising people to continue to wear masks, especially at indoor gatherings, as a precautionary measure to curb the spread of any infection.

‘Closely Monitoring The Situation’

• “We are closely monitoring things. Tests are being conducted and genomic sequencing is being done as per norms, to identify the variant”, the minister said.
• The government is in contact with other states as well, and are gathering all the required information.
• “We are also gathering information about the fourth wave in foreign countries, and are taking all the necessary precautions to see to it that things don’t go out of control”, the Karnataka minister added.

Mask Mandatory In Karnataka Again?

“We are taking all the precautionary measures, at the international airports and are asking people to wear masks in enclosed public spaces”, said Sudhakar.  To a query on making masks mandatory, the minister said depending on the rise in the number of cases in the days to come, certain decisions will be taken if required. “As of now it (wearing masks) is not mandatory, but we have issued an advisory to wear them as a precautionary measure,” he added.

COVID-19 in Karnataka 

According to the state Health Department, Karnataka yesterday reported 62 fresh COVID-19 cases and zero fatalities, taking the total infection to 39,46,484 till date, and the toll stood at 40,057. Asked whether the cases have been increasing in Karnataka, Sudhakar said it is hard to interpret that way as of now, and will be able to analyse it properly after a week or so.