Covid-19: Bengaluru to get 400 ambulances, one lakh antigen test kits

The state government on Friday said that 400 ambulances will be reserved for Covid fight across 198 wards of Bengaluru. One lakh antigen test kits will also be procured and more task forces formed to ensure faster test results.

Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that every ward will have two reserved ambulances. “About 785 extra beds will be identified in government hospitals for Covid patients. Guidelines will be issued for the handling of dead bodies,” he told reporters.

The state Covid task force which met on Friday also decided that from now on, all asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic Covid patients can be isolated at home if they meet the criteria mentioned in the guidelines. The patients must have a separate room and toilet. The home quarantine period will be for 17 days. If the patient has fever in the last three days of quarantine, it will be extended for seven more days.

Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said one lakh antigen test kits will be procured. “A total of 8,800 booth-level task forces will be formed across 28 Assembly constituencies of Bengaluru. IAS officer Shalini Rajneesh will head a task force that will ensure that test results come in 24 hours.”

Despite having 90 private and government labs, the turnaround time for getting test reports now is three to seven days.

Booth-level task force committees will be the basic structural and functional units for Covid management. These committees will include BBMP or municipal administration staff in urban areas and gram panchatyat staff in rural areas.