Belagavi gets Covid-19 testing lab; war room setup to combat virus

District Minister Jagadish Shettar inaugurated a Covid-19 testing laboratory at the premises of the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) National Institute of Traditional Medicine here on Thursday.

As on Wednesday (April 22), Belagavi district is third in the state, in terms of number of Covid-19 cases, with 43 cases, including a death.

The district, Hirebagewadi and Kuduchi, in particular, has been witnessing a steady surge in infections, more so, after Tablighi Jamaat returned from Nizamuddin.

With a spurt in cases, the demand for the Covid-19 lab in the city grew shriller. The ICMR gave its approval in setting up a Covid-19 lab at its National Institute of Traditional Medicine premises.

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Jamaat-linked cases

Speaking to the reporters on the sidelines, Shettar said most of the cases reported in the district are linked to Tablighi Jamaat, “Had it not been for the cases linked to Delhi’s Jamaat event, the district would have been in green zone.”

“Four families each in Hirebagewadi in Belagavi taluk and Kuduchi in Raibag taluk alone have 32 cases. The virus spread, thankfully, has been limited to these families,” the district in-charge minister said.

Also Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths

A war room to combat Covid-19 has been set up on the premises of Smart City Command and Control centre at Visvesvaraya Nagar in the city.

Briefing the District Minister Jagadish Shettar and Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi of the functioning of the war room, Deputy Commissioner S B Bommanahalli and NWKRTC Managing Director Rajendra Cholan said, “The officials manning the war room (control room) will keep a close watch on the customised dashboard, mobile app (Ayush Belagavi), video push and surveillance to monitor the contacts of the infected, quarantine centres and movement of people and vehicles in the containment zones and beyond.”