Karnataka

Bengaluru, Apr 23 (PTI) The Karnataka government has partially relaxed COVID-19 lockdown norms in the state allowing IT and IT-enabled services to operate with essential minimum staff and also certain construction activities, manufacturing of packaging materials, courier services, among others from Thursday.

The activities will be permitted only outside the COVID-19 containment zones identified by the government.

Mumbai, Apr 20 (PTI) AirAsia India has cut the April salary of its staff by up to 20 per cent to tackle the airline's finances amid the suspension of all commercial services till May 3 due to the lockdown, a source has said.

Those drawing Rs 50,000 per month or less have been spared from the wage cut.

Bengaluru, Apr 14 (PTI): The Karnataka labour department has directed private sector employers in the state not to lay off workers and pay them wages on the due date without any deduction during the lock down.

"The labour department has issued a circular directing the private sector employers to abstain from layoffs or unpaid leaves during this countrywide lockdown.

Bengaluru, Apr 11 (PTI): As many as 313 coaches in the South Western Railway (SWR) Zone have been converted into quarantine centres comprising 2,400 isolation wards to combat noval coronavirus, Union Minister of State Suresh Angadi has said.

"SWR has already achieved the target of turning 313 coaches into isolation wards, which have a 2,400-bed capacity (calculated with eight beds in a coach). In a bid to increase the capacity for isolation facilities, the railways has converted sleeper class coaches into COVID-19 isolation wards," he said in Hubballi on Friday.

Bengaluru, Mar 31 (PTI) In the wake of lockdown aimed at controlling COVID-19 spread in the state, the Karnataka government and the city civic body (BBMP) has asked project contractors, builders and developers in the city not to send their labourers to their native place and instead provide them with amenities like food and shelter.

The administration has also warned of legal action and blacklisting of contractors or builders if they are found violating the instructions.

Bengaluru, Mar 31 (PTI) Over 12,000 fake N95 face masks were seized from a warehouse here by the Central Crime Branch, police said on Tuesday.

The filtering masks have been in demand since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which has claimed 32 lives and affected 1,251 people in the country.

Bengaluru, Mar 29 (PTI) A leader of Janata Dal (Secular), headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, on Sunday requested the government to deploy defence personnel along with vehicles to evacuate stranded persons from the cities to their villages.

B M Farookh, also a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council, said people returning to their villages from cities along the highways would end up in human suffering and disaster, "much dangerous than the impact of coronavirus."

Mangaluru, Mar 27 (PTI) A 10-month-old baby from a village in Dakshina Kannada district has tested positive for COVID-19, health officials said.

The baby was admitted to a private hospital at Derlakatte here on March 23 with high fever and acute respiratory illness.

Mangaluru, Mar 26 (PTI): The district Wenlock hospital in the city will be turned into a dedicated hospital for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, Dakshina Kannada district-in- charge Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary said on Thursday.

Addressing reporters here, he said the 250-bed super speciality wing at Wenlock would be converted to a dedicated hospital to treat coronavirus patients in view of the prevailing situation.

Bengaluru, Mar 23 (PTI) Amid rising coronavirus cases, Bengaluru city Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao said on Monday those subjected to home quarantine stamping would be arrested if they were found to visit public places.

"5000 Home quarantine stamping was carried to ensure they remain home in public interest", he tweeted.