BELAGAVI: Serious questions are being raised about the massive spike in the number of coronavirus cases in Belagavi on Thursday.
It has come to light that several COVID-19 suspects were quarantined in a hall, which could have been one of the reasons for the drastic rise in the number of cases on a single day.
Already identified as a Red Zone, Belagavi recorded 17 cases on Thursday, taking the district tally to 36.
A large number of people, including many family members of suspects who had a travel history to the Nizamuddin Markaz, have been placed under quarantine in different places in Belagavi.
According to official information, 356 people were home-quarantined in Belagavi for 14 days, and the 36 who tested positive are in the isolation facility in Belagavi District Hospital.
Sources said at least 20 suspects were quarantined in a single hall, which could have left them vulnerable to the virus. Serious measures to ensure effective precautionary measures were also not in place to prevent the spread of the virus.
Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi, who is supervising the measures taken in Belagavi, said, “District Minister Jagadish Shettar and I recently asked top officials of Belagavi to ensure that people are quarantined in Belagavi in adherence to COVID-19 guidelines, mainly social distancing. Although there is some distance between the beds of those quarantined, they will eventually mingle if they are in the same hall. I asked officials to ensure that all those quarantined maintain social distance.’’
Angadi said that people in quarantine should strictly follow COVID-19 guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus by keeping a safe distance from each other.
The ones who tested positive are kept in a separate facility at the Belagavi Institute of Medical Science, he said.
Sources said that top officials, instead of keeping a tab on works and measures taken up in containment zones, quarantine facilities and other sensitive areas, spend more time in meetings and discussions on a daily basis.
Health department officials said that several employees in the government hospital did not have enough gear and facilities to protect themselves from the virus, nor did the government procure all necessary medical equipment and PPEs needed to face the crisis situation.