BENGALURU: Marshals will be deployed in wedding halls to ensure COVID guidelines are followed, said Health and Medical Education Minister Dr. K Sudhakar.
He was speaking to the media on Monday after a video conference with all district administrations.
Not more than 500 people are allowed in a gathering and face masks are compulsory for all. Catering service providers will also be instructed to get tested before they render service, he said.
The minister called for people's cooperation, stating that it was crucial to prevent another lockdown.
"People attending large gatherings are not following the guidelines. In fact, people urged me to remove the face mask when I attended a function. Therefore, it is necessary to deploy a marshall. Meetings and gatherings are happening in violation of the Covid guidelines," Sudhakar said, adding, "We may have to enforce strict guidelines if cases are increased. We don’t want a situation like the one prevailing in Maharashtra where lockdown has been reimposed in certain areas."
He clarified that no restrictions have been levied to travel to Maharashtra and Kerala, but RT-PCR test report is compulsory while entering the state. Schools are being opened gradually and no increase in cases has been reported so far. The government is taking measures to prevent a second possible COVID wave in the state. The Centre will soon decide on vaccinating the general public from March.
More than 4.24 lakh health employees and 1.20 lakh front-line warriors have been administered the first dose of the COVID vaccine. The minister said his department is cleaning up registration data by eliminating duplicate entries. They have a target of 80% and 90% coverage for health department staff and front line warriors respectively by the end of this month. All officials have been requested to get the dose, said a press release from the minister's office.
He also said that Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa himself is monitoring the vaccination drive and will conduct a video conference with officials this weekend.
"Bagalkot (23%), Bengaluru Urban (26%), and Chamrajanagar (27%) are lagging behind in vaccination. Bagalakote, Bengaluru, Dharawada have registered less than 50% coverage. Chikkaballapura (79%), Tumkur (78%) Uttara Kannada (73%), Gadag (71%), Chikkamagalur(70%) and Chamarajnagar(70%) have achieved more than 70%. Gadag (84%) and Tumkur (71%) are ahead in covering front-line warriors. All districts a