Unnecessary scare on Omicron, says Shivakumar

Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said "unnecessary scare" is being created on the Omicron variant of Covid-19, and accused the government of derailing the state’s economy.

“Where is Omicron? How many cases are there? There's an unnecessary scare being spread just because someone ran away from the airport and things like that," Shivakumar told reporters.

The Congress leader also asked the Basavaraj Bommai government to tread cautiously while considering fresh curbs.

"Bengaluru is home to IT companies, hotels and so many other businesses. Almost all of them function under air-conditioning. Should they shut shop? What does it mean to say people have to show certificates before entering? Why aren’t such rules there in other parts of the country? Why only in Karnataka? The government is derailing the economy," he said.

Shivakumar said Karnataka cannot have guidelines that are not in line with the country’s situation. "First, the government should compensate those who died due to Covid-19 in the past,' he said.

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