Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) has instructed guest houses providing paying-guest accommodation and hostels not to force guests to vacate.

Following the March 16, advisory issued by BBMP, few PG facilities and hostels had asked IT professionals, working persons and students to vacate.

On Thursday, BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar, issued a fresh order which stated, “It has been brought to my knowledge that some owners/managers of paying guest houses and hostels are expelling and forcing the inmates to vacate the premises by wrong or misinterpretation of our advisory.”

“Our advisory is for maintaining sanitation, cleanliness and prevention of over-crowding in limited space,” he explained.

He further goes on to say “We have not mentioned anywhere to ask inmates to vacate the premise. We have not asked IT professionals or any working persons to vacate PG houses or hostels. In fact, we are encouraging professionals to work from home and such kind of eviction from PG house managers and owners will defeat work-from-home advice.”

On students staying in hostels, BBMP Commissioners said “Advise must be given to students to go to their homes if their colleges/educational institutions have been closed. But if the students wish to stay back, nobody must force them to vacate the premises.”

Surveillance in Kodagu-Wayanad border

Karnataka Department of Health and Family Welfare said the latest case of Covid-19 infection, patient-15 is a 35-year-old male from Kodagu.

He returned from Dubai on March 15 to Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru and travelled to Kodagu by bus on same day.

Now he has been admitted to designated isolation hospital at Kodagu and sample collected. Contact tracing is under progress.

On hearing the news, surveillance has been stepped up in Wayanad, Kerala which neighbours Kodagu.

New helplines

Karnataka Department of Health and Family Welfare said with the help of NASSCOM and companies such as HGS, TCS, helplines have been setup.

Department has announced two new Covid-19 helpline numbers 080-46848600 and 080-66692000 which are now functional apart from the existing helpline number 104. Citizens having queries regarding Covid-19 or any related grievance can call these helpline numbers.

Jawaid Akhtar, Karnataka Additional Chief Secretary Health and Family Welfare Department and Medical Education Department said “In case of a citizen having international travel history or suspected to have come in contact with a Covid-positive patient and showing symptoms like cold, fever and shortness of breath can get in touch to seek medical help immediately. Both these helpline numbers will have one senior doctor and two PG medical students available throughout the day to assist the callers and answer their queries. The addition of new helpline numbers will reduce the waiting time of citizens and enable more people to get timely information and needed medical help.”

As for the screening of all international passengers it continued and so far till date 1,22,532 passengers have been screened in Karnataka.

The details of points of entry are: KIA Airport-Bengaluru – 86,231 passengers cumulative (2,079 screened yesterday), Mangalore International airport – 30,606 passengers cumulative. (566 screened yesterday) and also 5,695 passengers have been screened at Mangalore and Karwar seaports.