Karnataka Health Minister urges people not to panic amid spike in Covid cases

Bengaluru: Amid a gradual uptick in Covid-19 cases in Karnataka over the past few days, state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Saturday asked people to stay calm and continue with their daily routines.

Addressing reporters here, Rao said, “I appeal to everyone not to panic because when you see reports in the media that Covid-19 has returned to haunt people, people get alarmed." He also appealed to the media to present an accurate picture of the situation and not exaggerate the severity of the Covid-19 disease, which became an pandemic five years ago.

The Health Minister’s reaction came in the wake of a statement issued by his department on Friday, which said 35 Covid-19 cases have been reported in the state including 32 in Bengaluru alone.

The Minister also said the state government is on alert and has taken all necessary precautions to contain the spread of the virus.

Referring to the spike in cases in neighbouring Kerala, Dinesh Gundu Rao said increased testing there could result in higher number of cases. The Centre's guidelines clearly state that monitoring is sufficient and there is no need for special measures.

Rao clarified that there are no Covid-19 related restrictions and people can move around freely.

“People can go and come from any part of the country. People can lead their lives in a normal way,” he said.

Regarding the recent spurt in case, Rao said there was a possibility of a sub category of coronavirus.

“It could be a sub-variant of JN 1. These were detected in Southeast Asian countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia. There is no panic there in those countries as well,” he told reporters.