Bengaluru apartment with 3 or more Covid-19 cases to be deemed a cluster

Tightening norms to contain the spread of Covid-19, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said any apartment complex that reports three cases will be declared as a cluster.

“Earlier in Bengaluru, we declared a cluster if 10 cases were reported,” Bommai said. “Now, we have decided that a cluster will be declared if there are three cases. People in these clusters will be tested, treated and made sure they are vaccinated,” he said.

Also Read | Bengaluru doctor infected with Omicron doing fine

Bommai said the BBMP has been instructed to prohibit outsiders from participating in events that are held in the common areas of an apartment. “Only those (residents) who are doubly vaccinated should be allowed in the common areas of apartments,” he said.

The emergence of clusters in apartments and schools/hostels is “our second problem,” Bommai said.

The first problem, according to him, is to acquire a proper understanding of the new Omicron variant. “I have asked the Health Department to get a full report - what is the treatment protocol being followed in countries where Omicron has been reported? There’s information that the treatment given to the Delta variant will apply to Omicron as well. We want to decide scientifically what the right treatment protocol is,” he explained.

Also Read | Karnataka government imposes new Covid curbs amid Omicron scare

Bommai pointed out that the common knowledge on Omicron is that while it spreads really fast, the infection isn’t effective. “We will get this examined,” he said. “And, because it spreads fast, we will intensify our contact tracing.”

In a meeting Bommai chaired Friday, the government decided to make vaccination compulsory for parents of school-goers. “In nursing institutions, we will take up a drive for 100 per cent vaccination covering all paramedical staff,” he said, adding that testing of people with comorbidities will be increased. “We don’t want to leave any scope for doubt.”

Read more: Omicron detected by sheer chance in Bengaluru doctor with no travel history

Amid calls for the upcoming winter session of the legislature in Belagavi to be cancelled, Bommai said the government will go ahead as planned by taking all precautions. “The Belagavi district administration has instructions to ensure sanitization and that only those who are doubly vaccinated should be allowed. We will strictly follow Covid-19 norms,” he said.

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