COVID-19: Karnataka makes mask mandatory for New Year parties
What's the story
The Karnataka government made wearing masks within closed venues for the New Year's celebrations mandatory on Monday.
This is part of the new COVID-19 guidelines amid a spike in coronavirus cases in some countries—owing to the new Omicron strain BF.7.
According to the circular, New Year celebrations can continue until 1:00 am, but people must wear masks inside restaurants, bars, theaters, and educational institutions.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The directions come amid a global COVID-19 scare triggered by the recent surge in coronavirus infections in China.
The Indian government, too, has alerted all states and union territories to prepare for possible outbreaks.
To note, India has so far reported four cases of the Omicron BF.7 subvariant, which appears to be the reason behind the latest spike in COVID-19 cases in China.
Details
No need to panic, but precautions must: Karnataka Health Minister
Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar said "there's no need to panic" however, appealed to people to take precautions.
Official guidelines said that pregnant women, children, elderly citizens, and people with co-morbidities must avoid public gatherings.
Use of sanitizers, wearing face masks, and being fully vaccinated will be mandatory in schools while gatherings at closed-door events won't be allowed beyond the seating capacity.
Appeal
Key appeals the minister made recently
On December 23, the Health Minister also issued several appeals to the public after the COVID-19 scare.
"I appeal to the people of Karnataka to take the booster dose at the earliest," he said.
"People should wear masks, especially in indoor places, and maintain social distancing," he added.
Earlier, the government had ordered that all instances of respiratory illness be tested for the coronavirus.
Measures
Karnataka CM says preventive measures will be implemented in phases
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai also reiterated COVID-19 appropriate behavior, adding that preventive and precautionary measures to check the spread of infection will be implemented in a phased manner.
He said steps would be taken to keep the economy unaffected.
Meanwhile, the state cabinet has decided to consult the Technical Advisory Committee members to implement various action plans for COVID-19.
Information
Main focus area of Karnataka government
As per NDTV, the main focus of the government is to create awareness among the people, ramp up vaccination, tests for influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) cases, mandatory masking inside and in public, and implement other preventive steps.